A Summer of Serendipity
by Trufreak89
Summary: Emily isn't coping after what happened with Maya and all the stuff with 'A', so Hanna decides to try and take her mind off everything with a weekend away at her old summer camp; neglecting to tell Emily about the identity of one of her fellow campers.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **A summer of Serendipity  
**  
Summary: **Emily isn't coping after what happened with Maya and all the stuff with 'A', so Hanna decides to try and take her mind off everything with a weekend away at her old summer camp; but she neglects to tell Emily about one of her fellow campers.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own the show or the characters, just borrowing them.

**Rating:** M (Probably more T, rating just to be safe.)

**A/N: **I should be working on my other Paily fic, but this story got in my head and I spent my week off work writing it. Set between season 2 and 3, before Emily goes to Haiti for the summer so potential spoilers up to 3.01. Paily of course, with mentions of Emaya.

Emily stared down at the water below, her reflection rippling on the surface as she lifted the bottle she was clutching to her mouth. The neat bourbon stung her throat as she swallowed, but the pain was nothing compared to the aching hole inside of her. Maya was gone. She was dead and she was never coming back; just like Ali. She took another swig from the bottle and coughed violently as it went down wrong. She almost lost her balance and slipped off the end of the school diving board. It was early in the evening but no one was around, save for the janitor buffing the gymnasium floor. He hadn't spotted Emily slipping in to the school with the bottle she'd liberated from her father's drinks cabinet. The summer vacation had started a few days earlier, though Emily had missed most of the last month of classes. Maya's death had really eaten her up and she'd spent weeks just lying in bed, crying in to her pillow. When she had finally ventured from her room it had only been to get her hands on some alcohol to try and numb the pain she felt from losing yet another person she had loved.

She shuffled further out on the diving board, dangling her legs over the side as she stared at the dark water. With the lights off and only the moonlight shining through the windows the water looked dark and clouded, like the lake she and Maya liked to escape to. They'd spent many a night curled up on the deck of the little cabin overlooking the lake, a blanket draped over the two of them as Maya pointed out the stars in the sky, naming the constellations with ease. Emily looked up at the sky, but there were no stars, just the metal roof joists with a Sharks banner hanging down from one of them. The stars were gone; just like Maya was.

Emily returned her attention to the water, contemplating the inky darkness at the bottom of the pool. She felt her weight shifting forward and it felt as though she were watching someone else as the bottle in her hand was placed down on the diving board. Her palms were flat against the smooth diving board as she leant forward…

She jumped as she heard the sound of a door slamming shut and her fingers scrambled to grip the board to stop from sliding off. She scooted back a little, her heart racing in her chest as she realised how close she had been to leaping in to the dark oblivion below. Her fingers brushed against the bourbon bottle and she picked it up, taking a long drink to steady her nerves. She spotted a light coming from the changing room and then a figure stepped out, their face cast in shadow. Not so long ago, before 'A' had been unmasked and Maya had been taken from her, she would have been terrified by the stranger's presence. The bourbon had done its job too well for her to care though. Her senses were dulled and instead of trying to sneak out or announcing she was there, she found herself watching as the figure pulled their sweater up over their head and tossed it down on one of the bleachers.

From the other side of the pool Emily couldn't make much out of the figure, though as they slipped out of their jeans she realised they were a girl, the very feminine hips and the curves up top gave that much away. The other girl stepped up on to one of the starting blocks and in to a patch of light streaming in from a window. Emily's breath caught as the girl's auburn hair and pale skin caught the light just before she pulled on a swimming cap. If she hadn't figured out who her mystery companion was already then she would have known for sure when the girl hit the water and shot through it like a torpedo.

Paige reached the other end of the pool, where Emily was perched on the diving board and turned, kicking against the wall and setting off back down the lane. She hadn't noticed the other girl. Emily thought about calling out to her, but Paige was thrashing through the water and she'd started on her second lap before Emily had found her voice. So she kept quiet and just watched her go, swimming lap after lap like it was a title race and there were scouts watching. Paige was as passionate about the water as Emily had once been. She hadn't been swimming in weeks. When her friends had ambushed her for a girlie sleepover and she'd need a quiet place to slip away she'd gone straight to the pool; to the calm clear water with its chemical chlorine tang. She felt safe there, happy almost. Though Emily hated to admit it, Paige was part of that safety. She hadn't gone to the pool looking for her, but she hadn't been surprised to find her there. They were both creatures of habit and when things got rough they retreated to the tranquillity of the water.

The water went still again as Paige reached the centre of the pool and dived down to the bottom. Emily watched the coloured blur underneath water for a few seconds, waiting for her to resurface. When she'd been under for almost a minute a frown crossed Emily's face. Something was wrong. "Paige?" She called out to her, but the other girl was too far under to hear Emily, even as her voice echoed around the silent natatorium. "Paige!" She knelt on the end of the board, unsure whether to call for help or to jump in herself. She was only in a pair of jeans with a light T-shirt on, her leather jacket and converse discarded somewhere among the bleachers, but the water would make the jeans heavy and tight against her skin if she tried to jump in and help the other girl, coupled with how much she had drank she would probably end up joining Paige at the bottom of the pool.

She tried leaning further over the end of the diving board and calling the other girl's name again as it quickly approached a minute and a half since Paige had gone under, but her arm knocked against the bottle beside her and sent it soaring in to the water below. It splashed in to the water and a moment later Paige broke through to the surface. She looked around wildly, searching for whoever had tossed the bottle. Her expression softened a little as she looked up to the diving board and found Emily perched on the end of it like an owl, her eyes wide and glassy. "Are you trying to kill me?" She snapped a little harsher than she had intended to, but it wasn't every day that she had was almost knocked out by liquor bottles at the bottom of the pool. "I suppose it would only be fair seeing as I held you under that time." She added, attempting to lighten the mood with a joke. Emily just kept on staring at her though, looking right through her.

"Uh, are you ok? What are you doing out here? Other than drinking." Paige wrinkled her nose as the smell of the alcohol in the water and swam closer to the diving board.  
"Why were you under the water for so long? I thought…" Emily trailed off. She'd irrationally thought that Paige had been trying to hurt herself, though her fears had probably been a reflection on her own black mood. "I thought you were in trouble." She finished, not wanting to make a fool of herself by telling the truth. It was just another lie in and endless sea of them.

If Paige knew what Emily had really been thinking then she didn't let on. She shrugged as she kicked under the water to keep herself up. "Seeing how long I could hold my breath. I was trying to beat my record." It was a control thing, seeing how long she could starve her lungs of oxygen before she'd need to climb back to the surface for air. Ironically that pretty much summed up her friendship with Emily. Paige could hold her head under for a while, playing nice and acting like being just friends was enough, but eventually she needed to breathe, like the time she'd tried to kiss her in the street, or the time she'd admitted how she felt about her at the dance. She'd broken down, lost control and given in; then she'd pushed her head back under the water and avoided Emily for as long as possible. A task made easier by Emily's absence from school. "I'm sorry about Maya." She wasn't really sure what she was meant to say to Emily about the other girl. People always said 'sorry' so that seemed like a safe bet.  
"Yeah, me too." Emily sighed, her eyes glazed over and a heavy silence settled over them, seemingly amplified by the sheer size of the empty natatorium.

"Why don't you come down from there and I'll get out? We can talk or something, whatever you need, just come down from there? Ok?"  
"Ok." Emily nodded, her eyes still glazed over as though she was a million miles away. She tried to stand and Paige watched in horror as her socks slipped on the diving board and she almost went hurtling down in to the water.  
"Emily!"  
"I'm good! I'm good!" Emily insisted as she clung to the side of the board, luckily years of swimming had strengthened her arms and she was able to pull herself back up on to the board. Paige felt her heart pounding as she watched her trying for a second time. "Just shuffle back on your- Em!" She lost her balance a second time and wasn't lucky enough to catch the side. Paige watched as, almost in slow motion, Emily fell backwards from the platform and hit the water with a splash. Paige was moving through the water before Emily had even entered it.

As Emily crashed in to the water and sunk down towards the pool, too drunk and shocked to start swimming, Paige dived under the water to get her. Her arms wrapped around the other girl's slim waist, kicking violently out with her legs to propel them back to the surface. Emily was too out of it to be much help and she was actually hindering Paige by thrashing about, trying to pull away from her. It took longer than Paige had expected to get back to the surface and her lungs were aching as her head finally broke through the water. Emily had thankfully stopped fighting her though. With an arm still hooked around Emily's waist she used her other one to help move them through the water, towards the side of the pool. Emily finally got her senses back and started swimming with her, helping them reach the side a lot quicker than they would have if Paige had had to drag her along with her.

By the time they reached the side, and pulled themselves up out of the pool, both girls were exhausted and gasping for air. Paige lay on her back, the cold tiles biting against her exposed flesh as she stared up at the ceiling and tried to catch her breath. Emily was in a similar position, her tank top and jeans soaked through and clinging to her body. "Told you…to…shuffle back!" Paige huffed in between gasping for air, her overwhelming fear and anxiety coming out as something more familiar; anger. Beside her, Emily laughed. It started out as a soft chuckle before escalating in to something almost manic. By the time Paige had sat up to glare at her it died all together and gave way to choked sobs instead.  
"I'm falling apart, Paige."

Paige sat there, watching her cry in to her hands, unsure of what to say or do for the best. Emily had so many people in her life who were better qualified to deal with her meltdown than her; but none of them were there watching her fall apart, so it was up to Paige to take matters in to her own hands. Shuffling forward she gingerly placed an arm around the other girl. "It's going to be ok…It doesn't feel like it now, but it will. You'll see." She had no idea what she was saying; she was just trying to think of anything to calm the other girl down. Eventually Emily's hysterical sobs subsided and she shifted so that her head was buried in Paige's shoulder, crying quietly as the other girl held on to her. They were soaked through and after a while they were both shaking, sitting on the cold tiles of the poolside.

"Come on." Paige got to her feet and pulled Emily along with her to lead her over to the bleachers where she'd left her stuff. Emily just sat there, quiet and still as Paige pulled out her towel. It was like the other girl was broken and Paige still had no clue about what to do with her. "Let's get you dry." She slipped behind her and used the towel to dry her hair and shoulders. Emily just let her, sitting there as still as stone. Paige was beginning to think she preferred the hysterical crying. Setting the towel aside she rifled through her kit bag and was grateful to find a clean pair of sweat pants at the bottom. She handed them along with her hoodie over to Emily, who thankfully seemed to shrug of her comatose state and realise she had to change in to some dry clothes.

Paige left her to it as she turned her back and towelled herself down. With her costume as dry as it was going to get she slipped her jeans and shirt back on over it. Ideally she would have liked to change out of it, but she didn't want to leave Emily on her own, so she had to make do. It was the start of summer so it wouldn't be too cold outside for her with her wet bather on. By the time she turned around Emily had shrugged out of her wet clothes and had changed in to the ones Paige had handed her. She brushed her hair back out of her face, tucking it behind her ears as Paige took a seat beside her on the bleachers. "You want to talk?" Emily shook her head. She didn't want to talk about Maya, or 'A', or any of the other bad stuff in her life. She was tired of dwelling on it, of going over everything in her mind time and time again. Could she have done something different? Something that would have saved Maya? Everyone had told her there was nothing she could have done, but no one really had any idea what had happened to her. Maybe Emily could have stopped it? If she hadn't of told Maya's parents that she'd been in touch, or if she'd fought harder to include her that night at the party.

"So I brought my freestyle time down by like two seconds." Paige started out of nowhere, pulling Emily out of her own thoughts.  
"What?" She looked at her a little vacantly, but she had spoken and that was enough to keep Paige going.  
"I've been working on my freestyle, brought my time right down. My butterfly's slipping a little bit, got to work on that over the summer…" She trailed off as Emily carried on staring at her like she was talking gibberish. She had thought that maybe talking about nothing would take Emily's mind off things, but it didn't seem to be working. She was about to give up and offer her a ride home, when Emily finally spoke again.  
"I haven't been in the pool in weeks. My times are way off." She sat with her knees pulled up, her chin resting on them as she stared out at the once again still water.  
"Well, next time you want to work on your times in the middle of the night, bring a friend other than Mr Jack Daniels." Paige teased, earning a wry smile from the other girl.  
"I didn't intend on getting in the pool. I just needed somewhere quiet to get away. Hanna and the girls ambushed me for a girlie night and I just couldn't deal with it, you know?"  
"Yeah, a sleepover with Hanna Marin and Spencer Hastings, that's the stuff of my nightmares." Paige laughed; glad the awkwardness between them was slowly dissolving. The last time they had spoken Paige had been confessing her feelings for the other girl and promising to be there for her as her friend. It was easy to say, but after news of Maya's death had spread and Emily had disappeared from school, it was hard to put in to practise. Paige had been secretly a little relieved that Emily had dropped off the face of the earth and she hadn't had to deal with talking to her.

Emily laughed again, and thankfully this time it wasn't followed by crying. "My friends aren't so bad. I just needed to be on my own for a bit."  
"You know you can call me, right? Like, whenever you need anyone to talk to…or even just to babysit you in case you fall in the pool again."  
"Thanks." Emily chuckled, her smile finally reaching her eyes. "I'm actually going away for the summer. I'm going to Haiti to work for this social housing project thing…you know, just to get out of town and take my mind off…things."  
"Haiti huh?" Paige chose not to dwell on the things that Emily was trying to take her mind off. It wasn't just Maya. Everyone had heard about what Mona had been putting Emily and her friends through. "Couldn't you choose a landlocked country instead? You know, save me worrying about you falling in the sea or something?"  
"How about I promise not to drink and swim?" Emily offered, already starting to feel something of a hangover after her sobering experience in the pool.  
"Deal." Paige grinned back at her. She was grateful Emily was starting to sound more like her usual self. "Maybe when you get back we could work on your times? Get you ready for the new season?" Swimming had always served as a distraction in Paige's life and she knew that Emily throwing herself back in to practise would help see her through what was happening.  
"I'd like that." Emily nodded, shaking slightly as the cold air bit at her cheeks. Summer had started a few days earlier and the nights were turning warmer, but sitting in the natatorium, with soaking wet hair and no shoes on, she was starting to really feel the cold.

Getting to her feet she moved over to where she'd left her shoes and jacket, her phone and keys thankfully tucked safely in to the pocket of her jacket, and slipped them on. Paige fell in step with her and they made their way out in to the parking lot. Paige had borrowed her mom's car and once they were inside the big SUV she cranked up the heat to warm them both up. Emily realised she was still wearing Paige's clothes as she pulled the hood of her sweater out from under her jacket. "Uh, I'll get these back to you tomorrow."  
"Actually I'm away for the summer too. I'll just get them back off you some other time." Paige didn't offer to tell her where she was going and Emily didn't think it was her place to pry.  
"Oh, ok. Well, have a great summer."  
"You too…so where am I taking you? Home or?"  
"Yeah, I left Hanna, Spence and Aria there when I went out for ice cream…two hours ago." Her dad had come back home from Texas for a few weeks, but he'd had to go back for the weekend and Emily had talked her mom in to going with him so she could have the house to herself for a few days. She hadn't counted on her friends ambushing her with a surprise slumber party. As she checked her phone she realised they had been calling and texting her like crazy for an hour. She sent Spencer a quick text reassuring her she was ok and on her way home.

She wasn't looking forward to facing her frantic friends. "Hey, my parents are out of town if you want to stay for a bit?" she offered as they pulled up outside her house. "Spence and the others really aren't that bad."  
"Thanks, but I'm good. I've still got a load of packing to do." Paige offered her a lopsided smile as Emily lingered in the car. "I meant what I said though, you can call any time." She squeezed Emily's hand, still not sure what was really appropriate between the giving the way she felt about her, but the other girl didn't seem to mind. She was in no hurry to pull away. For a second Emily found herself leaning in to the other girl, but she seemed to realise what she was doing and pulled back with a bashful smile. She couldn't kiss Paige. She couldn't blur the lines between them any more than what they already were.  
"Thanks."

When she eventually got out of the car she waved goodbye to Paige and slowly climbed the steps of her porch. She'd barely slid her key in to the lock when the front door bolted open and all three of her best-friends appeared looking panicked. "Where the hell have you been?" Spencer roared, pulling Emily in for a crushing hug before she could even open her mouth. "We were worried sick! You didn't pick up your phone and-"  
"I just needed some air." She lied. Spencer's eyes narrowed on her as she picked up the alcohol on her breath. "Have you been drinking? Damn it Em, anything could have happened to you-"  
"I'm fine." Emily snapped. She knew her friends cared, but she felt like she was being smothered. She shrugged off her jacket and Hanna was the first to notice she wasn't wearing her own clothes.  
"What happened to your jeans?"

"Oh, I went to the pool and I sort of fell in." Emily admitted sheepishly, knowing she was just fuelling her friends' concern. "I just lost my footing, but it was fine. Paige was there and-"  
"What? Did she hold your head under the water again?" Spencer crossed her arms over her chest with a glare. She still couldn't stand Paige McCullers, nor could she understand why Emily seemed to have such a blind spot when it came to the other girl. As far as Spencer was concerned she was trouble with a capital T.  
"No, she saved my life actually!" Emily glowered back; she left out the part about how she had only been leaning on the edge of the diving board out of fear for Paige's safety. "She got me out of the water."  
"Oh." Spencer seemed to soften a bit at this news, but it would take more than one act of heroism for her to change her mind about the other swimmer.

"Well the main thing is that Emily's back now. We can all get changed in to our PJs, put on a crappy horror movie and scare ourselves senseless." Aria piped up, ever the peacemaker. "We got all your favourites!" She added as she held up several DVDs for Emily's inspection. She felt her heart sink as she noticed one of the titles. She and Maya had gone to see it together. She felt a twisting in her gut and part of her wished she could have just stayed in Paige's car.  
"Great. I'm just going to take a quick shower and warm up." She slipped past her friends and upstairs to the bathroom. The girls had set up their sleeping bags in the living room so Emily was alone when she padded in to her room wrapped in a towel. Pulling on some shorts and vest she still felt a little chilly, so she pulled on Paige's hoodie without really thinking about it. It was a pale grey Penn State University sweater that Paige had probably gotten from a scout or maybe a visit to the campus. The material was soft and warm and Paige's scent still clung to it like a lingering spirit. Emily felt more comforted by this than she had any right to be. Letting out a heavy sigh she pulled her phone out and started typing a quick text to Paige, thanking her again for taking her home. Her phone beeped before she could even send the text and she smiled as she found Paige had beat her to it.

_'Hey, hope your slumber party isn't too much of a nightmare. Let me know if you need another rescue, and no more swimming in jeans ;) x -_ P

"Hey Em, we're going to order pizza! What toppings do you want?" She heard Hanna calling up to her and had to send a quick reply before pocketing her phone and heading back downstairs. Across town Paige grinned at her phone as she got Emily's reply.

'_Thanks, I'm sure I'll make it through! No swimming in jeans unless my personal lifeguard is there ;) Enjoy your summer and keep working on those times! x - E_

"Hey kiddo, you all set?" Paige was interrupted from replying as her dad appeared at her doorway. She had just about finished packing for the six weeks she would be away and she gave him a thumbs up.  
"All set."  
"It's nice you're still doing this. I thought you might have said you were too old this summer…I know we've been through a lot this year Paige and I just want you to know that, no matter what, I'm proud of the young woman you're becoming." His admission had come out of nowhere and caught Paige off guard. She felt tears prickling at her eyes as she moved in for a hug. Her parents hadn't taken her coming out very well, her dad especially, but Paige had to admit it he was making an effort to reconnect with her.  
"Well this is my last summer before college; I couldn't miss camp could I?"

There had been a reason she hadn't shared her summer plans with Emily. Most people would think a seventeen year old girl going to summer camp was lame, but Paige had been going for years and she didn't want to miss her last chance to go. She hadn't been as a camper in a while, but she had been going as a peer councillor since she was fifteen; already planning her college application at such a young age. "My little girl's growing up." Nick smiled absently as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. "You should call it a night; you've got an early start tomorrow."  
"Will do, Dad." She promised as he was leaving. She sent Emily a quick reply before setting her phone aside and going over what she had packed, checking she hadn't missed anything.

Emily checked her phone as she felt it vibrating in her pocket. She smiled at the text from Paige and caught Spencer looking her way. It was probably the first time she had peered out from behind the cushion that she had been hiding behind since the movie had started. Beside her Hanna squeezed her hand reassuringly as she leant in and whispered in her ear. "Don't mind Spencer…Paige is nice." Emily wasn't sure that Paige and Hanna had ever had more than one conversation, but she knew she was just trying to be nice so she smiled back at her and nodded. She would miss her friends when she went to Haiti for the summer, Paige included, but she needed some time away from Rosewood and everything that had happened to her in the little town.

* * *

Paige was used to getting up at the crack of dawn, so when her alarm started screaming at her in the darkness of her room she woke up straight away to turn it off. Pulling her hair back in to a loose ponytail she changed in to some sweats and went out to get in a quick jog before her parents woke up. It was still dark outside, with the sun barely poking above the horizon. She had went to grab her favourite hoodie, the one she'd gotten from her visit to Penn State with her dad last year, and then remembered that Emily had it. She settled for another one and shoved her headphones in to her ears before slipping out the front door.

The morning air was quite crisp and she was glad she'd put on an extra layer. She ran a few blocks, not wanting to tire herself out by taking her usual route through the woods. She got back home just as her parents were rising and she managed to slip in to the shower and be dressed and ready by the time her mother was making breakfast. They were leaving at 8am sharp to get to the camp, which was located on the edge of the grounds of Maryland University, near Scranton. Most campers wouldn't be there until midday, but as a peer councillor Paige had to get there early to be assigned her cabin and to help set everything up ready for registration.

"Morning Sweetheart, did I hear you just getting back in before?" Her dad quizzed as she took a seat at the kitchen table and began tucking in to the oatmeal her mother had put down in front of her. He knew full well it had been Paige coming back from her morning run; it was just his way of making small talk at the table. She nodded as she sipped at her orange juice.  
"Thought I'd get a quick run in, start the day right."  
"That a girl." Nick beamed. He seemed to be in a genuinely good mood and Paige was glad she had decided to stick to going to camp for the summer. It seemed to have helped win her father back on to her side again. She was taking her responsibilities and obligations seriously and thinking about her future. Getting in to a college with a good swimming programme could open doors for her. Extracurricular activities like peer counselling would help her get a spot in a decent college. It was all planned out, just as the rest of her life always had been; except for falling for Emily Fields and realising she was gay. None of that had ever been part of her life plan and it had definitely thrown a spanner in the works.

When Maya had shown up again Paige had thought she didn't stand a chance with Emily, so she had been able to turn her full attention back to swimming and school and making her parents happy. With Maya out of the picture though there was a glimmer of hope glowing inside of her. She hated herself for it, a girl had died after all, but with Maya gone Paige once again had a chance; even if it was a small one. She would be there for Emily after the summer, as a friend if nothing else. She would try and prove herself to the other girl. Everything had changed since they had last tried to make a go of things between them. Paige was out to her parents for a start, and she felt so much more confident in herself; in what she wanted. That had to count for something.

"Maybe you'll meet someone nice." Her mother commented, not making it gender specific. She was still holding out hope that Paige's sexuality was a passing phase that she would grow out of once she met the right boy.  
"At fat camp?" Nick scoffed over his morning paper.  
"Fitness camp." Paige corrected. She had been volunteering at the camp for a couple of years and though most of the campers called it 'fat camp' themselves it was quite derogatory for anyone else to call it that. Paige had met some great people there over the years and she hoped that her passion for sports and fitness had rubbed off on some of them, helping them to make a change in their lives. "And I'm not really looking Mom."  
"We better get a move on, don't want you being late." Nick changed the conversation with a forced smile, still not comfortable thinking about his daughter's love life; though Paige had a feeling that he would still act the same if she were in to guys. He just didn't want to see his little girl was growing up.

Paige polished off her oatmeal and bounced up stairs to grab her suitcase. She was excited to be going back to camp and getting out of town for a few weeks. She loved her parents dearly, but six weeks away from them in a cabin in the woods sounded like heaven to her after everything that had happened. She hefted her suitcase down the stairs and handed it over to her father to put in the trunk of the car. Her mother pulled her in for a crushing hug, doing her usual dramatics at the prospect of not seeing her daughter for six whole weeks. "Stay safe sweetheart, don't go wandering alone in the woods and make sure to eat right and-"  
"I love you too, Mom." Paige laughed as she pulled back from her and brushed her bangs out of her face. "I'll call you tonight."

She said her goodbyes and climbed in to the front passenger seat of the car, where her dad was already waiting for her. The drive to Scranton wasn't as bad as she expected, they talked about Paige's senior classes and her plans for training for the new season. When the wooden sign post for _Hope Springs Fitness Camp_ appeared Paige felt a smile tugging at her lips. Her dad pulled up outside the administration building and helped her get her suitcase out of the back. "Want me to stick around until you get settled in?" He offered, though Paige knew he had plans for lunch at the Country Club.  
"I'm fine, Dad. I'll call you and mom when I get settled in."  
"Ok Champ. I'll see you soon. Love you." He kissed her forehead before climbing back in to the car and waving goodbye.

"Paaaaiiiige!" She heard a squeal from behind her before she was being tackled around the waist by a bubbly blonde almost a head shorter than her.  
"Jesus Cade, did you switch to football?" She quipped as she hugged the tiny girl back. She had met Cadence Johnson her first year at Hope Springs and the two girls had instantly hit it off. Cade was just as competitive as Paige was, though she played ice hockey rather than field hockey. Despite her tiny stature she was a pretty good player and she had nearly knocked Paige off her feet with her tackle.  
"Nope, still hitting the ice. You still a water baby? Or have you moved on to a real sport?" The blonde teased as she hefted her holdall over her shoulder.  
"Hey! Swimming is a sport!" She playfully hit the other girl in the shoulder before following her up to the admin building. They were met inside by Julie, one of the head councillors.

"Well if it isn't Fire and Ice." She greeted them with her trademark grin. Paige was pretty sure the woman had to be on something to keep up the smile that was constantly on her face. She was one of those annoyingly peppy people who Paige couldn't stand. Despite their close friendship the girls were known for their rivalry at the camp; with each of them trying to push their campers to win the Camp Olympics at the end of the summer. Cadence had been nicknamed _Ice_ because of her obsession with hockey, whereas Paige's auburn hair and fiery temper had gotten her the mantle of _Fire._

"Hey Julie." Paige greeted the older woman as she put her case down and hopped on to the reception desk. "Have the cabins been assigned yet?"  
"They have, you're in six. The one closest to the lake."  
"Great!" Paige grinned; she would be able to go for a swim in the mornings before her campers were awake. As their peer councillor it was Paige's job to set an example for the kids in her cabin, helping them through the daily activities and being a friend for them when they needed one. It was a big responsibility and a challenge she enjoyed; motivating and helping kids who wouldn't usually be interested in sports.  
"Careful McCullers, you might just sprout gills this summer." Cade laughed as she checked Julie's list for the cabin number she had been assigned to. "Five, looks like we're neighbours."

Paige wasn't listening to her though as her phone went off and she found a message from Emily, informing her she had survived the sleepover. A grin spread across Paige's cheeks and it didn't go unnoticed by her friend. "New boyfriend?" She quizzed as they gathered their stuff and started heading over to their respective cabins, Paige was still glued to her phone.  
"What? Oh, no. Just a friend."  
"Some friend." Cade teased as she noticed the blush forming on the taller girl's cheeks. "So what's his name?" Paige rolled her eyes as the hyperactive blonde started with the twenty questions.  
"Emily. _Her _name is Emily…like I said, just a friend." Cade stared at her like she was trying to figure something out, but she let it drop with a shrug of her shoulders.

Paige had managed to come out to her parents and even her best friend Pru, but the thought of telling Cadence about everything that had happened since their last summer together seemed a little overwhelming; especially on their first day of camp. She was sure it could wait until they had settled in to their cabins and met their bunkmates. Putting her phone back in to her pocket she said goodbye to Cadence as they reached her cabin first and then covered the short distance to her own. It would be her home for the next six weeks and she wanted to get settled in before the campers arrived. She tried to put Emily and Rosewood out of her mind, choosing instead on focusing on a game plan to whip her kids in to shape for the end of Camp games. She could go six weeks without thinking about Emily, or trying to contract her. By the time she would be back in town Emily would be out of the country and Paige would have the rest of the summer to try and sort her head out.

* * *

"I'm not sure about this Han." Emily sighed, nervously biting her lip. "I'm leaving for Haiti on Tuesday-"  
"Exactly!" Hannah interjected, not giving the other girl a chance to talk. "I'm not going to see you for like a month! That's why you should come with me this weekend! It'll be great, you love sports stuff."  
"Yeah I do, but…fat camp?" The other girl wasn't convinced as she stared at the brochure Hanna had given her for the fitness camp she had attended for the last few summers.  
"First of all, anyone who's never been above a size four in their life can't call it fat camp, it's a fitness camp. Second, it's only for the weekend, you'll be back Sunday afternoon with plenty of time to finish packing for your flight on Tuesday." Emily decided not to point out that she had finished packing for her trip days ago, seeing as Hanna was still throwing stuff in to her suitcase for her weekend away. "They invited me back to talk to the kids. You know, give them a pep talk about how I tackled my weight and they can too…I don't want to go on my own though." Her big baby blue eyes turned on Emily and the other girl knew she was fighting a losing battle.

"Am I even allowed to come? I mean, I didn't go to the camp."  
"I talked to Julie about it, she's the head councillor, and she was totally fine with you coming. You can talk to them about swimming and stuff!" Hanna beamed, her plan falling perfectly in to place as Emily finally relented with a sigh.  
"Fine, I'll go home and pack a bag. We can go in my car in the morning…where is this camp anyway?"  
"Up near Scranton, it's called Hope Springs. Check out their website, you're going to love it Ems!"


	2. Chapter 2

Paige rolled over on her bunk and blinked groggily as the room came in to focus. She had been at Hope Springs for almost two weeks and had grown used to waking up in the little room. It was designed to sleep up to three peer councillors, though Paige had it all to herself. She had always roomed with another councillor in previous years, but at almost seventeen she had been given a cabin full of thirteen to fourteen year old girls to look after by herself. The six girls slept in the three bunk beds in the main room of the wooden cabin, with Paige's room at the back with its own door which allowed her to come and go without waking the girls.

The room was pretty bare, with a bunk bed and a closet on one wall and a single bunk with its own closet on the other. Paige had chosen the single bunk. Pushing back the comforter she slipped out of bed and padded over to the wardrobe. The wooden floorboards were cold against her feet and she quickly pulled on some sweatpants and socks before stepping in to her trainers. A long-sleeved T-shirt followed before she crept over to the adjoining door that led in to the main room of the cabin. She checked on the kids and found all six of them fast asleep in their beds. The group she had been assigned to were pretty well behaved, making looking after them quite easy, and most of them even put in a decent level of effort during activities. Being two years older, Cadence had been given the older fifteen to seventeen year olds; she claimed they were worse than the ten year olds, but Paige hadn't had much experience with them since she and Cadence spent most of their free time in Paige's cabin or out in the woods.

"Hey sleeping beauty, the morning's almost over." Cadence sat perched on a tree stump outside cabin 6, looking smug as Paige was usually the first one up. It was barely five in the morning and the other girl had probably dived out of her cabin to be up first when she'd found Paige wasn't waiting outside for her.  
"Thought I'd give you some time to warm up." Paige shot back with a grin as she pulled her laces tighter and began stretching. They had quickly fallen in to an early morning routine of running one of the 5K paths in the woods before breakfast. As well as playing ice hockey, Cadence was a track star at PSU and often set a gruelling pace for Paige to keep up with, but the younger girl had the advantage during their afternoon swimming sessions.

"Warm up? Please, I was born ready." Cadence laughed. She shared Paige's competitive spirit; it was one of the reasons they got on so well. They set off in to the woods at a steady pace, with the older girl leading slightly ahead. "We might have to cut it short today though, I've got one of those past campers moving in to my cabin this afternoon and my room is a bomb site."  
"Yeah, I've got Hanna staying in mine." Paige hadn't realised the other girl was returning to camp, albeit just for the weekend, but she was glad she'd be sharing the room with someone she knew rather than a stranger. She'd been Hanna's peer mentor the summer before, when Allison had gone missing and her group of friends had broken apart. Hanna had had a new determination to drop her weight that year and had worked closely with Paige, joining her on her morning runs and even venturing in to the lake with her. Of course when the summer had ended and they'd gone back to Rosewood they had barely spoken a word to each other. Hanna had been too busy becoming the Queen Bee of Rosewood High and Paige had been happy sticking with her usual crowd. Neither of them wanted to bring up summer camp at school.

"Hanna? Oh yeah, nice kid." Cadence vaguely remembered the blonde. She stopped to take a drink and leant against a tree as Paige caught her breath. She wasn't much of a runner, she could do distance but not at the speed the other girl liked to run.  
"Kid? She's my age." Paige pointed out as she opened her own water bottle.  
"I guess I forget you're younger than me sometimes." Cadence shrugged. "Come on, I want a couple of miles in at least before we head back!"

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Emily quizzed, regretting agreeing to ride to camp in Hanna's car. It felt like she had been trapped in the car for hours and her legs were beginning to go in to cramp.  
"We're totally nearly there!" Hanna insisted for the third time in twenty minutes. After a few more minutes she pulled over by the side of the road and admitted she was lost. "I need directions; can I borrow your phone?" She didn't wait for a reply as she picked Emily's phone up off the dashboard and started scrolling through her contacts.  
"Why do you need my phone? Who are you calling?" Emily frowned, unsure of whose number she would have that would be able to give Hanna directions to the camp.  
"Paige." Hanna replied like it should have been obvious. She's just pressed to connect the call and brought the phone up to her ear when Emily snatched it back and stopped the call going forward.  
"Wait, Paige? How would Paige know how to get to the camp?"

Hanna smiled sheepishly at her, like she'd just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "Because she's there? She's kind of a councillor and- hey, wait! Where are you going?" Hanna trailed after the other girl as she stormed out of the car. Emily had no idea where she was going as she started walking down the road, she just had to get out of the car. When Hanna had admitted that Paige would be at the camp she had suddenly felt the walls closing in on her.  
"Is that why you invited me? Because Paige is going to be there?" Emily snapped, her anger getting the better of her as she turned on her so called friend. "Are you seriously trying to set me up? Maya's barely been gone-"  
"What? No! No, Emily, that's not what this is about!" Hanna insisted as she took both of Emily's hands in her own. "I know you two are close and I just thought maybe you could use someone to talk to who understands. I mean me and the girls are there for you a hundred percent, but Paige is gay and I figured maybe it would be easier for you to talk to her?"

Emily let out a choked laugh as she shook her head. Hanna had no idea. "Paige and I…we have history." She finally admitted. She hadn't told any of her friends about her and Paige at the time because the other girl hadn't been ready for anyone to know she was gay, and after Paige had come out to her parents Emily had been too preoccupied with Maya.  
"History? As in _history?_" Hanna's eyes widened at the revelation. "Jeez, Em! I'm so sorry, I had no idea! I knew you two were close and I kind of thought Paige had a thing for you but…sorry, not relevant. We can go back if you want? We'll just walk back to the car, get in and drive home?"

Emily considered it for a moment, but shook her head as she pointed to a wooden road sign to their left. "I think that's the turn off for the camp." She knew Hanna had only been trying to help and she appreciated the effort her friend had gone to in order to get her out of the house for the weekend. They climbed back in to the car and Hanna backed up to take the left. She was quiet for a whole minute before she finally burst.  
"Ok, so you and Paige? Spill? Where? When? How?" She couldn't hide her excitement at the prospect of gossip and for a moment Emily almost felt normal as Hanna grilled her on her love life.

"Remember when I got back on the team, and Paige went a little nuts?" At the time Emily had told her friends about Paige's digs at her sexuality as well as her ruthlessness in going for team captain; though she had kept her assault on her in the pool a secret from the others. Paige had been in a pretty bad place back then and Emily had forgiven her for trying to scare her by holding her head under the water, but she knew her friends wouldn't be quite so forgiving.  
"When she was going for Captain and she was being a bitch to you?" Hanna replied, though it wasn't so much a question as her acknowledging she was aware of the time Emily was talking about.  
"Well the night her Dad mouthed off at the swim meet she got in my car to apologise and we got in to another fight and…she kissed me." For a second Emily could almost feel the other girl's lips ghosting against hers. She had thought Paige had been going to kiss her that night at the pool, the last time she had seen her, but at the last moment she had pulled away and insisted on taking Emily home. "Eventually we met up to talk in this little karaoke bar in the middle of nowhere and talking to her that night…I just saw the real Paige, you know? Not the front she puts on for everyone else. She even got me up to sing." Emily laughed, a small smile gracing her lips as she remembered how terrifying and yet exhilarating getting up on stage in that bar had been.

"So what happened with you guys?" Hanna questioned as she navigated the car in to one of the parking spaces in front of the only brick building on the campsite. A white plastic signpost declared it to be the administration building. "I mean, that was around the time you and Samara got together? So what happened with you and Paige? I kind of figured you two would be a good fit." Hanna couldn't deny she had been trying to play a little bit of matchmaking between Emily and her teammate, though she had expected it would be too soon for Emily to move on she had hoped Paige could help her through the Maya thing. She hadn't counted on them already having history and Emily's revelation had definitely put a spanner in the works.

Emily lost her smile as she stared out of the windshield at the little log cabins across the field. "Paige wasn't ready to come out, and I wasn't prepared to hide who I was anymore. She tried…she really did, but she just couldn't face telling anyone. That's actually how I met Samara, she was from the LGBT group at Hollis and she was supposed to meet Paige but she didn't show and-"  
"Wait? You got with Samara when she was supposed to be meeting Paige to help her come out so you guys could be together? Ouch! That's harsh, Em!"

"It wasn't that simple." Emily protested. Nothing between her and Paige had ever been simple, though she knew her best friend was right. Emily going off with Samara had made things ten times worse between them and Paige had returned to avoiding her for a while. "She wouldn't speak to me for months, and by the time things started to be ok between us… Maya was back." Emily fell silent again and Hanna knew not to push it. The other girl was doing much better dealing with the tragic loss of her first girlfriend, but she was still prone to bouts of crying at the slightest thing that reminded her of Maya.

"Oh, there's Paige!" Hanna pointed out a group of girls who were trekking across the field carrying hockey sticks. Paige's unmistakable auburn hair was pulled up in to a pony tail with wispy bits of the bangs she was still growing out falling loose across her face. She was supporting a smaller blonde girl who seemed to be limping and her sneakers and legs were covered in mud from what must have been a pretty intense game of field hockey. Emily found her smile again as she watched Paige helping the younger girl towards the administration building. She hadn't noticed Hanna's car, so the overexcited blonde slammed down on the horn, catching her attention. She grinned as she looked up and sought out the source of the noise. Her smile wavered as Emily stepped out of the car. She recovered quickly as Emily tossed her a nervous wave.

"Hey! Hanna…Em." Paige handed the limping girl over to one of her friends with strict orders to take her to see the nurse before she walked over to join the other girls beside Hanna's car. "I didn't know you were coming here." She almost sounded like she was apologising as she stood in front of Emily, rocking on the balls of her feet with her hands shoved in to the pockets of her cargo shorts.  
"Neither did I until last night." Emily admitted with a soft laugh. "Han can be very persuasive."  
"I told you you're going to love it here!" Hanna objected as she linked her arm in to Emily's. "All of the councillors are sports nuts like you…and Paige. We'll go see Julie and find out what cabin we're in then I can give you the grand tour-"  
"Actually, you're in my cabin…I guess Emily is too." Paige added, feeling uneasy at the thought of sharing a room with Emily for the weekend.

They were supposed to be taking the summer to clear their heads. Paige had been slowly preparing herself to be in Emily's life as _just_ _a_ _friend_, but she was nowhere near ready to be in such close quarters with the other girl and be able to act like everything about her didn't drive her crazy. She was pretty sure that she would be sharing a room with _Mona _at Radley by the end of the weekend. "Oh, great!" Hanna beamed, she was either oblivious to the mounting tension between the other two girls or she was choosing to ignore it. "I'll go check in with Julie and you can show Emily to the cabin." She thrust the car keys in to Emily's hand to get their bags and disappeared in to the admin building before either of the other two girls could get out a word.  
"Wow." Was all Paige could get out as Emily shifted to get her and Hanna's bags out of the trunk. "She really needs to cut back on the caffeine. Oh, here, let me." Paige reached for the heavy suitcase that Emily was trying to wrestle out of the trunk. Their hands grazed each other for the briefest of moments and Emily almost dropped the case entirely. Paige caught it and hefted it out of the trunk, setting it down on the gravel path.

"Thanks. I think Hanna's packed more for this weekend than I have for a month in Haiti." Emily shook her head as she pulled out her kit bag, which had been big enough to carry the things she would need over the weekend. She slung it over her back and reached for Hanna's suitcase, but Paige brushed her off and picked it up before she started cutting across the field and down towards the lake.  
"So when are you leaving? I thought you already had to be honest."  
"I fly out Tuesday. I should be back a few days before school starts again…If I come back." Emily had meant it as a joke but a heavy silence settled between the two girls and she regretted saying it.

It didn't take long to reach the wooden cabin that the three girls would be sharing until Sunday, and the already small room that Paige had previously had to herself for a fortnight suddenly felt tiny with her and Emily both inside it. "Uh, I've been sleeping in the single. You and Hanna can fight it over who gets top bunk." She managed a wry smile as Emily took in the bunk beds on the far wall. She placed Hanna's suitcase down in front of the closet beside the bunk beds. "This one's empty, I'm not sure you'll have room for any of your stuff when Hanna unpacks though...There's a little bit of space in mine?" She shrugged, feeling at a loss for anything else to say.

"Thanks." Emily smiled as she sat her own bag down on the floor. There was less than a foot of space between her and Paige, and once again the walls seemed to be closing in on her. "You never mentioned you went to camp with Hanna? She didn't tell me you were going to be here until we pulled up."  
"Yeah, I've volunteered here the last couple of summers. Hanna and I don't really talk about it at school…we don't really talk." She shrugged before adding, "Sorry to ruin your weekend." Paige tried to make light of the situation, but the atmosphere between them was growing in to a choking cloud, seemingly stealing all of the air out of the room.  
"You didn't ruin anything." Emily reassured her, stepping forward to take hold of her hand with a shy smile. It seemed natural to reach out to her friend, but the awkwardness quickly returned as Emily felt like her fingers were on fire from the simple contact. Paige looked equally uncomfortable. The other girl's cheeks were flushed and it wasn't just from running around playing hockey. "Paige, I-"

"I get top bunk!" Hanna squealed from the open door, failing to notice she was interrupting anything as the other two girls quickly pulled apart. Paige's hands returned to the pockets of her shorts and Emily crossed her arms protectively over her chest as Hanna burst in to the room and jumped up on to the top bunk like an overexcited toddler.  
"I think I should put her next door with the 'tweens." Paige teased, getting a laugh from Emily as she sat down on the bottom bunk that would be hers for the weekend. The tension seemed to have disappeared with Hanna's arrival and she was relieved. She really wanted to be Paige's friend and she couldn't do that if she couldn't be around the other girl without freaking out.

She had been about to apologise for what had happened between her and Samara, but Hanna's arrival had thankfully stopped her. She regretted the way things had worked out between her and the other swimmer, but she didn't want to give her the wrong impression or lead her on. She'd hurt the other girl enough, she couldn't carry on stringing her along. She had to make it clear that she just wanted to be friends; even if she admittedly couldn't stop thinking about the almost kiss that had happened between them the last time they had been alone together. It had been praying on her mind for the whole two weeks and it was one of the things she had hoped to forget about on the weekend that Hanna had promised would make her forget about everything that was bothering her. It was hard to forget about something, or more importantly _someone_, when you were sharing a room with them.

"Hey! I am done with fat camp! I no longer have to go through the torture of your circuit drills." Hanna laughed with a familiarity that Emily had never seen her have with Paige. She really hadn't guessed they knew each other that well.  
"You love my tire drills Marin." Paige shot back with a smirk. "Besides, you're here to inspire the younger generation which means you'll be joining in with this afternoon's activities."  
"That's why I brought Em, she's my tribute!"  
"Hanna, it's hardly the Hunger Games." Emily laughed, enjoying being able to hang out with her two very different friends at the same time. Paige and swimming were usually part of a separate world to Hanna and the girls and at one time that had been a comfort, but Emily found herself liking that the two worlds had finally collided.  
"Have you been hiking with her?" Hanna objected, a look of abject horror on her face. "Ten freaking miles in the wilderness! No thank you!"  
"Those hikes helped you get those calves." Paige pointed out with a wink and Hanna beamed as she stuck her legs out in front of her and admitted her ankles in her capris. She missed the momentary look of jealousy that flashed across Emily's face at the almost flirtatious comment. Emily had never really considered Paige with other girls, but seeing her with Hanna reminded her that there was a lot she didn't know about Paige. She could have easily got with a dozen girls since she and Emily had broken up. "And you can relax; we're just taking the canoes out on the lake. Something nice and gentle to ease you in."

"After Caleb's party I don't want to be anywhere near any boats or lakes." Hanna twisted her face at the memory of falling in the freezing cold water at Spencer's lake house.  
"Don't worry Han, Paige is a trained lifeguard." Emily shared a knowing smile with the other girl and felt something in her stomach flutter as Paige returned the look.  
"Exactly, and Emily here is the second best swimmer in the state." Paige laughed as she narrowly avoided being hit by the pillow Emily sent flying her way. "Damn Fields, I hope you're not thinking about joining the softball team this year." Emily childishly stuck her tongue out in response to her, all of the tension between them from earlier seemingly gone. Maybe the weekend at Summer Camp wouldn't be too bad after all.

"I'm going to take a shower then get over to the mess hall for lunch, have you guys eaten yet?" Paige quizzed as she pulled a clean towel out from inside of her closet and tossed it over her shoulder. The cabins didn't have their own showers, so she would have to go over to the shower block that their cabin shared with the other two closest to the lake.  
"We ate before we left." Emily answered. "We'll stay and unpack and meet you by the lake after?"  
"Sounds like a plan." Paige nodded and tossed the girls a wave. "See you guys later." The second Paige closed the door behind her Hanna jumped down from the top bunk.  
"Ok, how did I not see it before? You two totally have this weird vibe thing going on!"  
"Hanna." Emily scorned as she rolled her eyes at the blonde. "Just drop it, ok? Paige and I are just friends. Let's get unpacked, and then we can get out on to the lake."

Emily started unpacking her bag, using it as an excuse to change the subject. Hanna started tackling her own overstuffed suitcase and pretty soon they had filled the spare closet between them. "Damn it, I need more hangers. I'm going to see if any of the girls next door have some spare." Hanna didn't want to go through Paige's stuff looking for spare hangers in her closet, so she slipped in to the other room on a mission to hang up the rest of her clothes.

Emily shook her head at her as she checked to see if she'd left anything in her bag. She bit her lip as she found Paige's Penn State hoodie. Her mom had washed it at least twice since Emily had borrowed it, but every time she folded it and put it away in her closet, ready to give back to the other girl, Emily found herself pulling it on. It was warm and soft and Emily had been wearing it most days. She reluctantly placed it on Paige's bed for her.  
"Wow, Hanna's changed." Emily jumped as the door opened and she heard an unfamiliar voice. She turned and found a young blonde woman walking through the door. She had a stylish pixie haircut and wore a pair of denim shorts with a white PSU track team vest. Paige followed her in and Emily felt herself relax a little.  
"Cade, this is Emily. She goes to Rosewood with me and Hanna. Emily this is Cade...she's a pain in the ass." Paige smiled as she introduced the two girls.

"Nice to meet you." Emily greeted the older girl with a polite smile.  
"Likewise, and ignore McCullers, she just hates that I can run circles around her."  
"Hey! Just wait until we get in that lake, your ass is mine Johnson." Paige laughed as she picked up the bed clothes she'd left on the floor that morning and tossed them on to her bed. She noticed her PSU hoodie already lying on her bed and bit back a smirk. Emily hadn't known that she was going to be at the camp, so she'd packed it to wear, not to give it back.  
"You'll have to buy me dinner first." Cadence shot back with a suggestive wink. While Paige laughed it off, Emily felt something akin to jealousy stirring in the pit of her stomach. It was starting to become a habit in response to seeing Paige around other girls, and though Cadence wasn't really trying to flirt back, Emily wondered if there was more to their camaraderie than just friendship. "Nice meeting you Emily, I'll see you guys later out on the lake."

"She seems nice." Emily commented once the other girl had left and she and Paige were on their own.  
"Yeah, she's awesome." Paige replied nonchalantly and Emily felt her stomach twisting again, like her ulcer had returned overnight. She wouldn't have been surprised if it had, considering how much stress she'd been under.  
"So…are you two…" She trailed off, waiting for the other girl to pick up on her point. Paige just stared at her blankly, waiting for her to finish. "You know…she seems _nice._"  
"Oh!" The penny finally dropped and Paige laughed at her. Emily felt a blush creeping over her cheeks and she suddenly wished the ground would swallow her up. "No! We're not, Cade isn't…I'm not really in to anyone." A heavy awkwardness settled between them again as Paige's gaze lingered on Emily for a second too long.

Luckily Hanna walked back in to the room with an armful of wire hangers. "Hey Paige! Do you have any room in your closet? I may have to take up Emily's half of ours for the rest of my stuff." She was only half joking as she dumped the hangers on Emily's bunk and turned her attention back to her half emptied suitcase.  
"There's plenty room in my closet." The other girl reassured her before turning to Emily with a smirk. "I'm not in it anymore."

"I don't get it." Hanna frowned as Emily burst in to a fit of laughter. It felt like she hadn't laughed in months, yet the other swimmer always seemed to be able to get her to crack a smile. "Oh, wait, I get it! Awesome, if both of you are 'out of the closet' then me and my clothes are moving in!" Emily laughed even harder and shook her head at the blonde. Hanna had been the first of her friends to find out about Emily's sexuality, thanks to Mona's meddling, and she was eternally grateful that the other girl had taken it so well, helping to give Emily the confidence to come out to the rest of her friends and family.

Once Hanna was finished unpacking Paige rounded up her girls for their afternoon on the lake. "Ok, Chloe and Jessie are in with Hanna, Emily you've got the twins, Tory and Lucy and I've got Sarah and little Hannah." Little Hannah was a plump blonde thirteen year old who made even Aria look tall. "How's the ankle Sarah?" Paige fussed over the girl who had twisted her ankle during their hockey game.  
"Another famous McCullers penalty?" Emily teased, earning a playful shove from Paige as she tried to climb in to her canoe. She gripped the sides as the unsteady boat rocked below her. "Hey! I could have fallen in!"  
"You can swim can't you?" Paige laughed. She helped fasten Sarah's lifejacket around her before helping the younger teen in to their canoe. She had a real way with the kids and they all seemed pretty enthusiastic about their afternoon on the lake.

Emily checked the life jackets on her two girls before pulling her own on. The two younger teens in each canoe were in charge of the rowing, so Emily, Hanna and Paige just had to sit back and supervise as they made their way around the lake. Hanna's boat moved the slowest, hovering by the edge of the lake, while Emily's kids headed straight for the centre, closely followed by Paige's boat. The sun was high in the sky, making the water feel warm as Emily's fingers skimmed the surface of the lake. She felt the familiar pull of the water drawing her in and she wished she had worn some shorts or something, instead of her jeans, so that she could have gone swimming. There was something about the water that was just so familiar and soothing to her. She hadn't been back in the pool since her unplanned swim with Paige and she felt restless to get back in the water. She was jerked out of her thoughts as the boat snagged on some reeds and lurched to a stop.

"Nice going Dumbo!" Tory snapped at her twin, younger than her by a whole four minutes. "You steered us right in to the reeds!  
"Hey you're paddling too, jerk!" Lucy argued while Emily rolled her eyes at the younger twins, thankful she was an only child and had never had to put up with a sister; though Hanna, Spencer and Aria were practically siblings to her and they'd had their fair share of disagreements over the years.  
"Here, pass me the oars." Emily shifted forward and took the oars from the twins, hoping to pull them free by rowing back the way they had come. The oars were tangled in the reeds though and she couldn't get them to budge.  
"You guys ok?" Paige called over, watching as Emily struggled with the oars in the water. Emily was wearing a low cut vest over a sports bra and her well defined biceps were straining as she pushed on the oars for all she was worth. Paige was caught between offering to help and continuing to enjoy the view. Aware the other girl was watching Emily stood up and tugged harder on the oars, trying to free them from the reeds just below the water. She didn't want Paige thinking she was helpless.  
"I'm fine! I almost-"

She didn't get a chance to finish as the oar suddenly burst free and sent Emily falling backwards. The boat lurched to the side as Emily crashing in to the water and the twins screamed, gripping the opposite edge to stop the little boat from tipping. "Emily!" For the second time in a month Paige found herself diving in to Emily's rescue. She cleared half of the distance between their boats with her dive and reached Emily in seconds. The other girl was struggling to stay above the water with her sneaker tangled in the reeds that had snagged their boat. Taking a breath Paige dived under the surface and managed to pull Emily's foot free without her losing her shoe.

"I told you I can swim McCullers!" Emily laughed as she bobbed on the surface, able to keep herself afloat with both of her feet free.  
"And I told _you _no more swimming in jeans!" Paige laughed, though her heart was still racing in her chest. In the split second it had taken her to react Paige's mind had presented her with the worst situation; Emily cracking her head off the boat and sinking unconscious to the bottom of the lake. The thought of losing the other girl terrified her and she had to stop herself from reaching out to wrap her arms around her.

They heard Hanna screaming hysterically at them and asking if she should call the coast guard while the twelve year old in her boat cried her eyes out. "No! I'm fine Han! I'll just swim back to shore so I don't tip the boat, you girls start rowing back and I'll stick beside you." Emily instructed the twins who took the oars back and started paying more attention to where they were paddling.  
"Good idea. Sarah, Hannah, you guys head back too." Paige ordered and the two older teens gave the boats a little time to get ahead of them before following them back in, not wanting to collide with them and cause any more accidents. Once the boats were far enough ahead of them Paige turned to Emily with a wide grin. "Race ya!" She laughed as she kicked in to gear and shot through the water like a torpedo.

"No fair!" Emily pouted, struggling to pick up the slack between them as she chased after her teammate. She reached the shore just seconds after Paige, who was already celebrating her win with her usual modesty.  
"And McCullers is undefeated champion once again!" She laughed as Emily pulled herself up on to the dock, struggling to get her breath back. "You're going to have to work harder than that next season Superstar!" Emily knew she was only teasing, but she was right. Her timings were way off and she would need to work on them before the start of the new season. The Sharks were state champions with a title to defend.

"Oh my god, Em! Are you ok?" Hanna gushed as she pulled her soaking wet friend in for a bone crushing hug.  
"I'm fine. I _can _swim." Emily laughed her concern off.  
"That was so brave, Paige!" Sarah, the girl from Paige's boat praised her as she rang out her auburn hair and pulled it back up.  
"It was nothing." Paige shrugged, though the rest of the teenagers were staring at her in awe. Emily could tell she really had their respect and admiration. She was definitely doing her job as a role model. "Why don't you guys go with Hanna and have a kick about with the soccer balls while Em and I go dry off?"  
"I hate soccer." Hanna grumbled as she led the younger kids off towards the soccer field.

Emily and Paige made their way back to cabin six. Once they were inside they started stripping off their wet clothes without a second thought, they had been on the same swim team for years and were used to changing in front of each other. It was only as Paige was staring at Emily's topless form, as the dark haired girl was facing away from her and struggling to pull her wet jeans down her legs, that she realised she was stripping alone in a cabin with Emily Fields. Opening the door of her wardrobe she stepped behind it, forcing herself not to peek at the other girl's lean tanned body. "Pull it together McCullers." She mumbled to herself as she pulled on a dry bra and an oversized T-shirt.  
"Did you say something?"

"No." Paige cursed herself for talking out loud. She was practically kicking herself as she looked out from behind the door and found Emily standing in just her bra and underwear. It was a matching dark blue lace set that looked gorgeous against her bronzed skin. For a second Paige forgot how to breathe. "Uh, we should…we should get going." She turned back around behind the door, giving Emily some privacy to get ready.  
"Yeah, Hanna's probably got them all sunbathing or something." Emily chuckled as she pulled on some shorts and another vest. "And don't think you're getting away with cheating in that race, I want a rematch later McCullers!"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm glad people seem to be enjoying this fic and I appreciate the feedback since I'm pretty new to PLL. I have like 90% of this written already and it should be about 6 or 7 chapters long. I'm hoping to try and update as soon as I've finished editing each chapter, but between work and my other fics I can't promise to keep up with the daily updates.  
**

"It's great to have you back this year Hanna, and your friend Emily is great with the kids." Julie beamed as she watched Emily kicking a soccer ball about with Paige and the girls from her cabin. The head councillor had dropped in on them during their afternoon session and had been impressed with the way Paige and Emily had divided the girls in to two teams, with the older girls acting as captains. Hanna of course was sitting on the side lines acting as referee, regardless of not having the first clue about the rules of soccer.  
"Thanks for letting me bring Emily, she's had a rough couple of months and I think this weekend will really help."  
"Well Hope Springs is here to help people. She certainly looks like she's enjoying herself."

The youngsters were happy enough just enjoying kicking the ball around, but Paige's usual competitiveness was starting to flare up as she delivered a late tackle and sent Emily flying to the ground. "Jesus Paige, it's not the World Cup!" Emily laughed as she got back to her feet and wiped her hands down on her knees.  
"Sorry." The other girl blushed. "You know what I get like when it comes to team sports."  
"Yeah, I do. It's just usually we're on the same side. Take it easy, yeah?" Emily clapped her on the shoulder and Paige felt her knees almost buckle.  
"Since when did I ever do easy?" She laughed, covering her reaction to the other girl's touch as she chased after the ball. Emily shook her head and chased after her.

After another twenty minutes of the two of them fighting over the ball the rest of the girls simply gave up and joined Hanna by the side lines. The twins were using the goalposts as climbing frames while Hanna and little Hannah sat making daisy chains. "You do realise nobody is playing, don't you?" Emily teased as Paige kicked the ball in to the back of the unguarded net.  
"I'm still winning." Paige argued with a grin. She pouted as Emily sat down on the grass, refusing to carry on playing. "Come one, there's still another ten minutes of this half left!"  
"We're done. You win McCullers." Emily laughed, refusing to budge as the other girl tried to pull her up. She tugged on Paige's hand and got her down on to the grass. Paige finally gave in and sat down beside her in the middle of the pitch. She spotted Cadence out on the basketball court with the older girls and tossed her a wave.

"You can go play if you want? Hanna and I can take care of the girls." Emily offered, though she was relieved when Paige shook her head.  
"It's fine, the girls have an hour with the nutritionist coming up anyway...and I think Hanna's supposed to give her whole motivational speech to Cade's group with Julie…So I was thinking I could show you the bouldering centre, if you're up to it?"  
"Bouldering?" Emily frowned, not sure what the other girl was talking about.  
"Yeah, indoor climbing without a harness. It's fun."  
"Hanging off a wall with no safety harness? That doesn't sound like fun, Paige." Emily wasn't convinced, but she let the other girl tug her back up to her feet as Julie called for the girls to head over for their group counselling session.  
"Trust me, you'll love it."

The climbing centre was little more than a large room inside the Administration building, but with only the two girls in it there was plenty of room. Three of the walls were covered with different coloured hand holds and ledges. Emily was reassured to see the floor was a massive crash mat. Paige got them some bouldering shoes from the equipment cupboard, which were pointed with thin rubber soles, and clipped a chalk bag to the back of her shorts. "The different colours indicate how hard a route is, you should start with the green until you get the hang of it." Paige instructed the other girl as she dusted her hands with chalk and immediately set off on the red route. She scrambled half way up the wall, making it look simple as she pulled herself up with the powerful muscles in her arms and legs; her hours in the pool paid off in more than just swimming.

She sat down on one of the ledges, waiting for Emily to make a move. She eyed the wall sceptically before gripping the nearest green hold and putting a foot on a small green stone that helped her hoist herself up to the next hand hold. She felt the burn on the muscles in her shoulder almost immediately.  
"So what are the red ones?" She quizzed as she reached out for the next hold, kicking up with her legs but coming up short and missing the hold. She grunted as she fell down on to the mat, landing squarely on her backside.

"Very difficult. I'd master the greens first though." Paige stifled a laugh as she leaned over the edge, watching the other girl get back to her feet and attempt the climb again. Emily wasn't a quitter. She took more time, assessing the route before she reached out for the next hold. She was a quick study and had the same strong well defined muscles as Paige from years of being in the water. She was getting the idea though, taking her time to think her moves through. It took a while but she eventually reached the ledge Paige had been perched on; by that time Paige was already way ahead of her, sitting on the very top ledge just below the ceiling.

"I thought this was supposed to be fun!" Emily pouted as she sat with her back against the wall. Her arms were already starting to ache from the unfamiliar movements. She was enjoying the challenge, but she wasn't going to let Paige off so easily by admitting it.  
"It is! Don't even lie Fields, you love this." Paige grinned as Emily moved on up to the next ledge, gaining ground on her. The other girl stuck her tongue out at her, but couldn't help the small smile that graced her lips as she carried on climbing up the wall, feeling like she'd really achieved something as she reached the thin ledge that Paige was sitting on. "There's a really big indoor centre in Pilli, I go there a lot when I want time to myself. I get so focused on figuring out how to get to the top that I forget about everything else that's going on in my life."  
"Sounds nice." Emily smiled absently, taking in the view of the empty room below them. Forgetting about everything that was going on sounded like a good thing. "I might come with you some time, if you don't mind?"  
"That'd be great." Paige agreed, before an awkward silence settled over them. "So, how are you doing?"  
"I'm good." Emily nodded. "I'm tired of people asking me that, but I'm good." She felt Paige's finger brush against hers on the ledge and she kept staring at the floor below as she moved her hand a little closer to the other girl's. Paige closed the distance and laced their fingers together, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze before she pulled away.

"Sorry. I just worry about you…you're my friend. Come on; let's try you on a harder route." She slipped down from the ledge and climbed halfway back down before dropping down to the mat with the grace of an alley cat. Emily frowned, realising just how high up she was.  
"Aren't there some stairs or something?"  
"Afraid not." Paige wore a lopsided smile as she watched Emily peering nervously over the ledge. "Come on Em, it's easy. It's the same as going up, only in reverse."  
"Getting up wasn't easy." Emily shot back. She turned around and dropped herself down over the ledge, planting her feet firmly on two of the holds. "What if I fall?" She bit her lip as she clung to the ledge, not quite ready to let go.  
"Then I'll catch you." Paige replied matter-of-factly, her familiar cocksure attitude bringing a smile to Emily's lips. She watched as Paige scrambled back up the wall, making her ascent look easy. "Put your left hand on that blue one there and you're other hand on the orange one." Paige instructed, trying to help her feel safe in climbing back down. Emily felt safer with the other girl beside her, but it wasn't because of her instruction. Just having her next to her gave Emily the push she needed to lower herself down from the ledge.

"I thought I could only use one colour?" Emily tried to keep talking as she followed the route that Paige told her to take. It was unnerving to be going down with her back to the ground, unable to really see where she was going. She was trusting Paige to guide her hands and feet to the right places.  
"It doesn't matter too much unless you're in a competition." Paige shrugged as she climbed back down to the ground, still calling out the colours of the holds for Emily to reach for.  
"Isn't everything a competition with you?" Emily teased, the first of her feet finally landing safely on solid ground. The other one quickly followed and she felt a sense of achievement wash over her at making it back down to earth.  
"Not everything." Paige shrugged again, her gaze holding Emily's for a moment too long as she shifted from one foot to the other. "Come on, let's try another route. We won't go so high this time."  
"No. I can do it." Emily insisted. The other girl had a way of bringing out her competitive side and making her do things she would never do on her own; like singing on stage in front of a bar full of strangers.  
"Oh yeah, I forgot. You're fearless." Paige laughed as she took Emily by the hand and started tugging her towards the far wall. "Come try this one, there's more of an incline and it's not as high." Emily followed her lead, trying not to think about how easy it was.

* * *

"So…you're smiling. Am I the best friend in the world or what?" Hanna beamed as she flopped down on to Emily's bunk beside her. Paige was still in the mess hall having dinner with the other girls from the cabin, leaving Hanna free to press her friend for information. "You and Paige seem to be getting on pretty well?"  
"Han." Emily rolled her eyes at her as she closed over the magazine she had been reading on her bed. "I told you, Paige and I are just friends. I'm not ready to-"  
"I know!" The blonde cut her off. "It's just nice to see you smiling again. You can say what you like, but we both know Paige is responsible for it… So admit it, I am an awesome friend!"

"You're the best." Emily admitted with a soft chuckle. "This weekend was a good idea. Thank you."  
"My pleasure! I'm going to miss you when you go to Haiti!" She pulled the other girl in for a hug. The previous summer they had barely been speaking, Ali's disappearance and Aria moving away had created a deep rift between the four girls; ironically all the business with Mona and 'A' had been responsible for bringing them back together. Emily wasn't sure what she would have done without Hannah, Spencer and Aria by her side in the weeks after Maya's death.

As the door to the cabin opened Paige walked in on the two girls hugging and looked away awkwardly, not wanting to intrude on the private moment. "Uh, sorry. I'll come back later." She made to turn around and walk back out the door, until Emily pulled herself away from Hanna and called out to stop her. She knew the other girl didn't have many close friends, apart from maybe Pru, and she seemed uncomfortable with how easy it was for Emily and Hanna to be curled up together on Emily's bed.  
"Don't be stupid, Paige. This is your room!" At Emily's insistence, Paige took a seat on her own bed.

She picked up her book from where she'd left it on the side table the previous night. She didn't really want to intrude on the other two girls, she knew how close Emily was to her friends and it felt strange to be hanging out with her and Hanna together; so she tried to blend silently in to the background as she read. Emily had other ideas though as she picked herself up from her bed and sat down on the end of Paige's, inspecting the cover of her book. "I read this last year, it's really good." Paige knew she was just trying to make her feel included, it was the kind of person Emily was.  
"It's one of my favourites. I've read it a-"

A knock on the dividing door of the cabin interrupted Paige and she got off her bed to answer it. She found Sara standing at the door, clutching her stomach. "Paige, I really don't feel well."  
"Are you sure you're eating right?" Paige frowned as she placed a hand against the younger girl's forehead. "You've lost a _lot _of weight."  
"You haven't seen me in like a year." Sara objected as she pushed Paige's hand away. The smaller girl didn't look all that overweight to Emily and she had been surprised to see she was a camper. "I've grown up." She held her head up with the air of a typical fourteen year old who believed hitting puberty made them an adult.  
"Whatever you say Sport." Paige laughed as she ruffled the other girl's hair.  
"I'm not a little kid anymore, Paige!" The younger teen pouted, obviously put out by Paige condescending her.  
"Well in that case you're old enough to take yourself to see the nurse." Paige shot back, earning another scowl from the other girl.  
"I'll be fine." She huffed before disappearing back in to the main room of the cabin with her friends. Paige shook her head as she closed the door. She really didn't get teenage girls.

"She's probably just homesick." Hanna pointed out as Paige took a seat back on her bed. She was glad to see Emily was back sitting on her own bunk. She could only take so long of having Emily so close to her. "I used to fake being sick all the time."  
"I remember my first overnight swim meet when I was a freshman. I was so nervous I made myself sick." Emily understood what the little girl was going through. She'd hated being away from her parents for even one night when she was that age.  
"I remember." Paige smiled absently. "All of us freshman were in the same motel room and you spent the whole night in the bathroom; you absolutely nailed your race though."

Emily found herself smiling as she thought back to that night. "You sat by the door talking to me all night."  
"I couldn't sleep anyway, pre-meet nerves." Paige shrugged, trying to play down what she had done. The truth was she had wanted Emily even back then; of course she had thought she wanted her as a friend, but as she had grown up and watched the other girl's body change over the years she had realised she wanted a lot more than friendship from Emily Fields.  
"Admit it McCullers, you're just a big softie." Hanna grinned down at her from the top bunk. "I couldn't have gotten through last summer without you; and that little girl in there isn't sick, she just wants your attention."

"The kids are starting to get a little restless. Maybe we should take them out?" Paige suggested, peeking Hanna's interest.  
"I think they're a little young for that bar we used to sneak to."  
"What bar?" Paige frowned, having no idea what the blonde was talking about.  
"Oh, right, you never came. Cadence thought you'd nark on us."  
"Remind me to kick her ass later; but by out I meant like outside for a campfire or something?"  
"That sounds like a great idea." Emily agreed. "We could roast some marshmallows."  
"Have fun with that." Hanna faked a yawn and rolled over on the top bunk with her magazine. She'd had enough campfires to last her a lifetime.

Paige left Emily to try and talk Hanna around while she went to tell the girls what they were planning. The teenagers shrieked excitedly as they started pulling on their jackets and heading outside. "Paige, could I bring my guitar out? We could have a sing along?" Sara suggested, seemingly over her huff with the older girl.  
"That's a great idea. You girls get ready and Hanna and Emily will meet you outside. I'm going to go see if the girls in cabin five want to come over." In truth she just wanted to pull Cade about sneaking off to bars with the likes of Hanna Marin and leaving her behind. They had been friends for years and it hurt to know that she'd hidden something from her.

She knocked on the door round the back of the cabin, which led straight in to Cadence's room. "It's open." The blonde called out and Paige let herself in. She found the other girl lounging on her bed with a book. "Hey McCullers, what's up?"  
"Hey. We're having a campfire if you guys want to join?"  
"Cool, I'll ask the girls."  
"Great." Paige hovered by the door, making no attempt to leave as she shifted nervously from one foot to the other.  
"Anything else?" Cade quizzed with an impish smile, not picking up on how pissed off Paige was with her.  
"Yes, actually there is. Why didn't you tell me you sneak off to some bar every summer?"

Cade rolled her eyes as she put her book down and sat up to face the younger girl. "Hanna blabbed didn't she? I don't go _every _summer. I found it last year and I took a few girls to blow off some steam." She shrugged like it was no big deal.  
"Why didn't you tell me? We're supposed to be friends." Paige crossed her arms over her chest, sulking as Cade laughed at her.  
"We are, but I didn't think bars were your thing…and you're kind of square."  
"I am not!" She argued, sulking even more. "And I've been to bars…or a bar." She couldn't help but smile as she remembered the karaoke bar she had taken Emily to.  
"Fine! We can go tomorrow night? Your cabin and mine are on that wilderness camp thing, so we get rid of the kids for the night honey." She winked at her and Paige snorted as she rolled her eyes at the blonde.  
"Fine, but I'm still mad at you! I'll see you round the back of our cabin in ten."

Paige made her way back to her cabin and found Emily had already marshalled the girls in to a circle and was hovering over a smouldering camp fire. Hanna and little Hannah were sat huddled under a blanket while Sara was fussing over her guitar beside them. "Nice work Fields." Paige took a seat beside them as Emily got the fire going. "Showing up when all the hard work's done McCullers?" Emily teased. She scooted back away from the fire and sat down beside Paige, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on them. The other girls were talking quietly amongst themselves as the crackling flames started to grow. Sara started playing some traditional camping songs and a few of the girls sang along with her. Paige joined in, singing softly to _Kumbaya._ She grew a little louder as the younger girl moved on to _Basket Case_ by Green Day.

Cadence and a few of the girls from her cabin joined them after a while and they sat roasting their marshmallows on sticks. Paige laughed as Emily left hers on too long and it dropped in to the fire. The other girl pulled an adorable pout as she watched the sugary treat turn black. "Here." She handed her own stick over with her perfectly toasted marshmallow on the end of it.  
"Thanks." She smiled, taking the stick from her. Their hands brushed and she almost dropped it. She quickly looked away from the other girl and found Cadence looking at her with an odd expression. She offered her a timid smile before turning her attention back to her marshmallow.

Sara started playing Pink's _Try _and Paige joined in, needing something to take her mind off the girl sitting beside her. _"…Ever worried that it might be ruined, and does it make you wanna cry? When you're out there doing what you're doing, are you just getting by? Tell me are you just getting by-"_

"That's depressing, play something more upbeat!" One of the girls objected and Sara quickly switched songs, playing the opening chords of _So What._  
"This is your favourite, isn't it Paige?" Sara asked innocently, having no idea what affect the music was having on her.  
"It used to be." She choked out, unable to look up from the ground as she felt Emily shifting uncomfortably beside her. "Excuse me a minute." She made a beeline for the cabin and slammed the door behind her as she slumped to the floor and held her head in her hands. Her breath was coming out in short sharp rasps and her shoulders were shaking as she struggled to hold back a sob.

She had come a long way since the previous summer. She had finally come to terms with who she was and what she felt for Emily, hell she had even told her parents all about it; but it didn't change a thing. Emily wasn't hers. They were friends and that was as much as Paige was going to get. "Paige?" She wiped at her eyes and climbed on to her bed as the cabin door opened. It wasn't who she was expecting though.  
"Hey Hanna." The blonde took a seat beside her on her bunk.  
"So…Emily's wearing this face. It's the one she wears when she's trying _really_ hard to pretend she's not falling apart; it's kind of similar to the one you're wearing now… Want to talk about it?"

"It's just that stupid song." Paige shook her head. "Emily and I sung it at this bar we went to… I guess it was sort of our first date."  
"I think Emily was talking about that when we got here. I kind of didn't tell her you'd be here and I didn't realise you guys had _history;_ she told me about the two of you singing at the bar. She seemed really happy thinking about it. She's been through a lot this year with Maya and everything with…"  
"Mona? I heard how she was terrorising you guys." Paige had only heard rumours about what Mona had put Emily and her friends through, but if half of what she'd heard was true she would have loved to get her hands on the other girl and do some terrorizing of her own.

"Yeah, she had some…issues. You know the first day of junior year, after last summer, I saw you in the hall and I wanted to talk to you. I didn't have Emily or Spencer and I just, I wanted someone I could rely on…but Mona stopped me. She said we'd worked so hard to climb our way up the food chain that we couldn't risk it all by being friends with a jock. I lost that weight because of you; because of all the time and effort you put in to helping me and I repaid you by ignoring you."  
"Hanna you don't-"  
"Let me finish." The blonde objected, silencing Paige. "I'm going to make it up to you. I know Emily's not ready yet, but she cares about you. I can see that now, and I promise that when the time comes, I'll be in your corner." Hanna surprised her by pulling her in for a hug. Paige stiffened a little, she wasn't really the hugging type, but that didn't seem to deter the other girl.  
"Thanks…we should probably get back outside."

Paige pulled herself free from the other girl and the pair headed back outside. They had just made it down the steps of the cabin when they found Emily approaching them. "Hey, is everything ok?" She looked between the two girls, concern written all over her face.  
"Everything's fine." Hanna beamed a little too enthusiastically.  
"Just peachy." Paige added, with only a hint of her usual sarcasm. "I better check on the girls."  
"Paige." Emily caught her hand, stopping her in her tracks and giving Hanna a meaningful look to give them some privacy. She took the hint and made herself scarce. "Seriously, are you ok?"  
"I'm fine." Paige insisted, though she couldn't look the other girl in the eye.  
"Paige, please-" Emily tried to lift her chin so that she'd look at her, but Paige pulled away and shook her head.  
"Don't, Em. Please, just don't... You have no idea how hard it is to be your friend." She walked off before a speechless Emily could say anything back.

She caught up to her back by the fire, but Paige wouldn't even look at her never mind speak to her. She was sat between Sara and Cade so Emily took a seat beside Hanna to share her blanket with her. Her friend shifted to put an arm around her and Emily lay her head down on her shoulder. They sat there for a while until the fire started to die down. Paige added more wood to it to keep it going as the other girls broke out more marshmallows. "I think I'm going to call it a night." Emily pulled away from Hanna and brushed down her jeans as she got to her feet.  
"Want me to come with?" The blonde offered, knowing the other girl was still upset.  
"No it's fine. I'm just going to bed."

She left the rest of the girls and went back to the cabin. After changing for bed she climbed in to her bunk and pulled the blanket up to her chin. Away from the fire she was starting to feel the cold. After ten minutes of lying in the dark shivering she finally pushed the covers away and padded over to the wardrobe she was sharing with Paige; Hanna having claimed the other one all to herself. She found the Penn State hoodie that she had placed on Paige's bed hanging up and she pulled it off the hanger before slipping it on. The material was soft and warm against her skin. She tried not to think about how much comfort the other girl's sweater brought her as she slipped back in to bed. Finally warm, it didn't take her long to drop off to sleep.

It was a couple of hours later when Paige and Hanna finally returned to the cabin. Emily heard them whispering quietly as they got changed and she felt the bunk beds moving as Hanna climbed the little wooden ladders up to the top bunk. Paige got in to her own bed across from Emily's. They were less than a foot apart and Emily could hear her tossing and turning restlessly. Hanna was already dead to the world. Rooming with the blonde for so long had taught Emily that she was a pretty heavy sleeper. She didn't even stir when Paige put on her bedside lamp. Emily kept her eyes closed over; keeping up the pretense that she was asleep as she heard the pages of the other girl's book rustle. Paige fluffed up her pillow and sat back against it as she picked up from where she had left off with her book the previous night. She was exhausted from all the activities she'd done with the girls during the day, but she just couldn't turn off; not with Emily sleeping so close by. She kept stealing glances at the other girl between turning pages, until eventually she gave up trying to read all together and just watched the other girl sleeping.

She still felt bad about how she had acted earlier, but there was only so much she could take. She knew Emily was hurting, but so was she. She wasn't a robot or superhuman, she was just a regular teenage girl with all the mixed up feelings and hormones that came with the gig. She was doing her best to be strong for Emily, to be a friend when she needed one, but it wasn't like there was some switch she could just flip to turn her feelings for the other girl off and on. She had been glad to see her earlier, but she was starting to think it would have been better if Hanna never brought her, if Emily had just gone off to Haiti for the summer to find herself or whatever and they'd had a couple of months to think about what they wanted to say to each other; because Paige had never wanted to say what she had actually said. She didn't want Emily to know how hard it was for her to be her friend. She needed some kind of place in Emily's life and friendship was the only deal on the table. Paige couldn't risk blowing that as well. Turning off her light she climbed out of bed and padded over to Emily's bunk. Leaning over the sleeping girl she pressed her lips softly to her forehead, silently promising herself that she would work harder at being stronger for her.


	4. Chapter 4

"Crap!" Paige hissed as she tripped over one of Hanna's shoes. She wasn't used to sharing a room with anyone and she'd forgotten to look where she was going as she climbed out of bed.  
"What's going on?" Emily grumbled as she sat up in bed and rubbed at her eyes. It was early, even for her, and the cabin was practically in total darkness.  
"Nothing, just go back to sleep." Paige muttered as she finished pulling her T-shirt on over her head, her back to the other girl.  
"What are you doing?" Emily frowned and turned on her lamp, casting a soft glow of light across the room and illuminating Paige as she tied the laces of her sneakers. She wasn't exactly a morning person and she was still upset with the other girl because of how she'd acted the night before.  
"I'm meeting Cade for a run. We do it every morning."

"It's not morning, it's still dark." Emily huffed as she lay back down and pulled the hood of Paige's sweater up over her head.  
"It's a great way to start the day." Paige objected, sounding like a commercial for a breakfast cereal. "Hey, have you seen my sweater? The Penn State one you left on my bed-" she trailed off as she caught sight of the pale blue hood over Emily's head.  
"Sorry. I was cold last night." Emily mumbled as she sat up and pulled the hoodie over her head, offering it out to the other girl.  
"It's fine." Paige tried to refuse it but Emily insisted.  
"Take it, it's cold out...and it's yours."

"Fine." The other girl pulled the sweater on over her head. It was still warm from Emily wearing it to bed and her scent was clinging to the fabric. She turned her back on Emily, biting back a smile as she walked over to her bed and picked up her blanket. "I'll trade you." She draped it over Emily to help keep her warm. The other girl mumbled her appreciation but she was already halfway back to sleep. Paige slipped quietly out of the cabin, making sure to avoid any more of Hanna's stuff, and made her way over to meet Cadence down by the lake.

The blonde was waiting for her, wearing a sweater and some track pants to stave off the cold. The morning air definitely had a chill to it and there was a blanket of fog lying low to the ground. "Late again McCullers?" She teased as she stamped her feet on the ground to warm up.  
"Yeah, sorry." Paige apologised, giving in far too easily for the other girl's liking.  
"Did Paige McCullers just apologise? Is the world ending?"  
"_Funny. _I'm just tired, ok?" Paige huffed as she pulled her hood up.  
"Want to give the run a miss?" Cadence offered. "I can miss out on beating you for _one_ day."  
"Not a chance!" Paige took off towards the trail, laughing as the other girl called after her.  
"Not fair McCullers!"

Paige was giving it her all as she pounded through the woods, trying to clear her head. Her lungs were aching and her muscles were burning, lactic acid quickly building up in them as she pushed herself too far and too fast. She heard Cadence calling out to her as she tried to catch up, but she didn't wait for her. She kept pushing and pushing until her legs finally gave way and she collapsed on to her knees, gasping for breath. "OK, what the hell is going on with you?" Cade snapped as she dropped down beside her.  
"I'm gay." Paige hadn't meant to say it, but the words just tumbled out of her mouth and once they started she couldn't stop them.  
"And I'm in love with Emily; but it doesn't matter because I screwed everything up!" She held her head in her hands as she fought back a wave of tears. Cadence had gone silent beside her and for a second Paige froze. She had come out to Emily, her parents and a few people at school; but she hadn't thought to tell Cade or any of the others from camp. The other girl was in college and Paige was pretty sure she was open minded, but as she sat there waiting for her to say something in response she started to fill up with doubt.

"Tell me something I _don't _know." Cadence smiled wryly at the younger girl, vanquishing her fear in an instant as she slung an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug. "The way you look at her when you think nobody's watching…Hell McCullers, you're either in love with her or you want to wear her skin as a coat. Being in love with a girl, that doesn't change who you are. Not to me... So does Emily know how you feel?" Not wanting to get in to the ins and outs of their on-off relationship Paige just nodded.

"That kind of sucks, she seems to be ok with you. Straight girls can be weird about that kind of thing, trust me."  
"Emily's not-" Paige started and then something in her brain clicked. "Wait, are you-"  
"I'm _open_ to love." Cadence replied cryptically with a wink. "In whatever form it takes. It's not about gender, or colour, or age, or any of that crap. Love is love."  
"Well thanks for that _Dr. Phil." _Paige rolled her eyes at the other girl sarcastically. She knew Cadence had picked up Emily wrong, presuming the other girl was straight, but she didn't correct her. It was Emily's choice who she told about her sexuality and Paige knew the importance of that choice more than most. It had taken a lot for her to tell her parents she was gay, and in the end she had done it for herself; not for Emily. "Come on, let's head back for some breakfast; and don't think you're skipping out on taking us to that bar tonight!"  
"If you'd told me you were in to girls I'd have taken you last year. The barmaid is seriously hot. Play your cards right kiddo and I might just hook you up." Cade laughed as she tugged Paige back up to her feet. "I've got a bottle of something hidden in my cabin; we'll crack it open once the kids leave for their camping trip."

They took a slow walk back to the cabins and Paige was amazed to see the girls from her cabin already filing out for breakfast. Usually it was a daily battle to get them out of bed before nine. Emily was behind the girls, wide awake and waving over to Paige and Cade. "I've got to admit it; you've got good taste McCullers." The blonde muttered under her breath as she waved back at Emily. "Hell, if she was a couple of years older- ow!" Paige slugged her in the arm before waving back to the other girl.  
"Hey guys, how was the run?" Emily quizzed as they joined her and the other girls on the way to the mess hall. She seemed to be in better spirits and it was a little easier for Paige to look her in the eye as she replied.  
"It was great. You should have come with us."  
"I'll stick to the water thanks." Emily laughed.  
"Well you're definitely coming out with us tonight." Cade draped an arm over Emily's shoulder and Paige felt like a knife was being twisted in her gut.  
"Where are we going?" Emily ducked out from under her arm, pretending to drop down to tie her shoelace and Paige couldn't help the smirk that crossed her lips.  
"A little bar not too far from here."  
"Great."

Paige wasn't too sure about taking Emily to a bar though, considering the last time she had seen the other girl drunk. "Maybe it's not such a good idea-"  
"Oh please, stop being so square Paige! We all need a little R&R." Cadence insisted. "They're really lax on carding."  
"Hanna and I have our fake IDs."  
"Awesome, then it's just Paige we have to worry about! Like I said kiddo, we'll get you in good with the barmaid." Paige shot the blonde a scowl, completely missing the look on Emily's face.  
"Great. I'll let Hanna know."

When Cadence went ahead, leaving Emily and Paige alone, Paige brought up going to the bar. "Maybe you shouldn't drink tonight." She tried to sound casual about it as she shoved her hands in to her pockets, but Emily was instantly on the defensive as she crossed her arms over her chest.  
"Why, because I got a little drunk the other week? I am allowed to have a little fun you know!"  
"I didn't say you weren't. I just think that-"  
"What? Are you afraid I'll cramp your style when Cade's setting you up with the bartender?" Emily snapped, more than a hint of jealousy in her tone. Paige completely missed it though, all she heard was the anger and it sent her in to defensive mode herself.  
"Oh yeah, because I'm real interested in hooking up with some random barmaid. For your information Emily, I've only ever dated _one _girl…and look how well that turned out!" She stormed off ahead, needing to put some distance between her and Emily before she could say anything else. She felt like a ticking time bomb and one more word or wide-eyed pout from Emily Fields was likely to make her explode.

"Paige, wait!" She ignored Emily calling out to her and almost ploughed through a group of younger kids standing around outside the mess hall. Keeping her head down and her mouth shut she took a tray and loaded it up with breakfast before heading over to her cabin's table. She slammed her metal tray down on the bench so hard that her orange juice spilt and one of the younger girls almost shot out of her seat. From over on her own table Cadence shot her a questioning look, but she ducked her head and chose to ignore her; she only got a few moments of peace though as Emily joined their table. It was only as Emily sat down on the empty seat beside her that Paige realised she was sitting opposite Hanna. She couldn't have chosen a worse seat. All around them the other girls were chatting excitedly about the upcoming wilderness camping and Paige was starting to get a migraine from all the noise. She just wanted to crawl back in to bed and pull the covers over her head until it was Sunday and Emily was leaving. She couldn't screw things up any more than she already had, but she didn't really want the opportunity to try.

"So I have to talk to two more groups this morning and another one after lunch." Hanna announced as she picked at a bran muffin. "Em, will you be ok hanging with Paige?"  
"Sure." Emily barely looked up from her cereal bowl and Paige felt a lump forming in her throat; So much for her plan to avoid the other girl.  
"Paige, are you coming camping with us tonight?" Sara asked, taking the older girl's attention off Emily for a second.  
"Uh, no. Julie and Dan are taking you guys."  
"Oh." Sara seemed to deflate a little as she found out Paige wouldn't be going with them. "Can't you come too? It'd be fun. You could share mine and Hannah's tent?"  
"That's sweet of you, but I've got plans tonight." Paige smiled, wishing she could just go on the stupid camping trip to get away from Emily for a bit; but she didn't like the idea of leaving Cade alone with her and Hanna. If Emily was going to drink then Paige would at least be around to keep an eye on her again. Picking up on the younger girl's suddenly sour mood Paige tried to cheer her up a bit. "You guys have got a couple of hours free before you've got to head out on the trail. Why don't we go down to the lake and get some swimming in? Emily here might even give you some pointers; you know she's _almost _as good as me." Paige grinned, feeling some of her own confidence returning as Emily cracked a smile.  
"No one's better than you Paige." Sara blushed as she smiled timidly up at the older teen.

Emily hung back a little once the others were finished and caught Hanna's arm before she could leave for her group inspiration session. "Hey Hanna, this might sound crazy, but do you think Sara has a thing for Paige?"  
"Em, she's like fourteen!" Hanna laughed her friend's comments off, though she was frowning a little as she watched Sara following Paige out.  
"I had a crush on Ali when we were thirteen." Emily pointed out. "I don't know, I just think she seems really attached and Paige seems pretty oblivious to it."  
"Maybe you're jealous?" Hanna teased.  
"Of a fourteen year old?" She screwed her face up at the blonde's ludicrous suggestion.  
"Look Em, I know you're still grieving for Maya and you're not ready to get in to anything, but you're still allowed to be jealous when other girls are interested in someone you've dated; even if they are fourteen and still have a Care Bears towel."  
"It's not exactly fair on Paige though." Emily huffed as she followed Hanna out of the mess hall and they hovered by the doors, making the most of the five minutes Hanna had before she was supposed to go to the administration building. "I think I keep giving her mixed signals and I really don't mean to mess her about-"  
"Maybe it's time you two had that chat you've been putting off for so long?"  
"Maybe." Emily agreed; though in all honesty she wasn't sure what she would even say to Paige if they sat down to talk. She was still figuring that bit out in her head. "I'll catch you at lunch."

She left the blonde and started heading down towards the cabin. Most of the girls had decided to spend their free time down by the lake and were inside getting their things. Emily walked around the back and found Paige pulling her shorts on over her bathing costume. She closed the door behind her and leant against it, blocking Paige from leaving. The other girl's gaze was glued to the floor as she pulled her T-shirt on and picked up her towel. "You should show Sara your butterfly, her technique's a little sloppy-" She tried to manoeuvre around Emily to get to the door, but the other girl stopped her by taking hold of her arm and Paige had nowhere else to look but at Emily. She expected her to shout at her some more, to rant about how it was none of Paige's business how many girls she had dated; but instead she apologised.  
"I'm sorry for what I did to you with Samara. I didn't finish things with us to get with her, it just sort of happened; but it was still a lousy thing to do and I just wanted to say I'm sorry if it hurt you."

"It did." If Emily could be honest with her then Paige could make the same effort. "But you have every right to date who you want; and even if you hadn't have left me for Samara you would have just left me when Maya came back anyway, so what does it matter? I'll let you get changed and you can meet us down by the lake." Paige's words stung her, but Emily couldn't argue with them. In all honesty she wasn't sure what she would have done had she and Paige still been together when Maya had returned to Rosewood. Her feelings for Maya, her first real girlfriend, had been intense; but she couldn't deny the thing between her and Paige could be just as overwhelming sometimes. She let go of the other girl's arm to let her go. She eventually opened her mouth as Paige was halfway out the door.  
"That night at the bar, when you dragged me up on stage to sing with you…that was probably one of the best nights of my life; and that matters." Paige nodded sombrely before carrying on out of the door.  
"Mine too."

The temperature had picked up as the sun had climbed higher in the sky and the lake was almost warm as Emily dipped her toes in to it from the dock. She was wearing a two piece baby blue bikini that she would never get away with wearing when she was swimming for the Sharks. Some of the other girls were already in the water; including Paige who was coaching Sara on her swimming technique while trying not to stare at Emily's toned and tanned abs. Emily was still in great shape, but she hadn't been in the water in weeks, not since she'd fallen in that night and Paige had ended up having to drag her out. Taking a deep, calming breath she took up position on the dock like it was a starting block and dived down in to the water. She cut through the water with ease, muscle memory doing most of the work for her. It felt good to be in the water again and she didn't stop moving until she was almost at the other side of the small lake. She heard cheering and whistling and turned back to find the other girls had watched her clear the lake. She made her way back over to them a little more slowly, savouring the time alone in the water.  
"Wow Fields…could you have been any slower?" Paige teased, trying to goad the other girl in to a race. "I'd forget about anchor this year and just go for towel girl-" She was cut off as Emily splashed her, sending a wave of water showering over her and some of the other girls.

"Oh, you're so dead Fields!" Paige lunged forward in the water, but Emily dived down in to the water and resurfaced behind her, laughing.  
"Let's play tag…and Paige is it!" She shouted, sending the others girls swimming off in all different directions before Paige could react. A game of tag with two of the state's strongest swimmers wasn't exactly fair on the younger kids, so Paige deliberately hung back as she chased after them. After a couple of minutes she tagged one of the twins and then swam off, laughing as Tory whined about being 'it'. They carried on the game for almost an hour before the younger girls got tired out and climbed back up on to the dock.

"Tag was a nice idea Fields, you're good at this." Paige complimented as the two of them bobbed in the water a little way out from the dock.  
"So are you, these kids love you!"  
"What's not to love?" Paige laughed as she splashed at the other girl.  
"There's that McCullers's modesty." Emily smiled wryly as she splashed her back. "I've missed this, being in the water...having you around to keep me on my toes."  
"I'll settle for keeping you on your feet tonight." Paige teased as she started heading back towards the shore. It was getting close to lunch and the girls still needed to finish packing for their camping trip. Once she pulled herself out of the water she rounded the younger girls up to head back to the cabin. "You coming Em?"  
"I'm just going to swim a little more. I'll catch you later."

Emily wanted to stay in the water a while longer, with the lake to herself to practise. Her training had been pretty much non-existent for months and Paige's earlier teasing had stirred something in her. Paige shook her head from the dock, knowing exactly what was playing on the other girl's mind. "You're not going to be the towel girl, Em. While _some_ of us have to spend their lives in the water, you've got natural talent. Don't worry about it." Despite Paige's kind words Emily stayed behind at the lake, getting in some practise by doing a few lengths. It was long after lunch by the time she pulled herself out of the lake and her muscles felt like they were burning. The deep ache in her muscles also came with a sense of satisfaction and achievement though. It felt good to be pushing herself again, trying to return to normal. She wrapped her towel around her waist and slipped her feet in to her sandals before making her way to the cabin she was sharing with Paige and the others.

She walked up the stairs at the back that led to the peer councillor's room and was surprised to find Paige asleep on her bunk. Tiptoeing across the room she opened the dividing door to check if the younger girl's had gone camping. The larger room in the cabin was empty, save for the clothes strewn across the floor. She closed the door back over quietly and kept her back to Paige's bed as she changed out of her bikini. The sun was burning bright in the sky and the temperature was still rising. The camp was near Scranton, in the northeast of the state where the average temperature in summer was usually in the low seventies; as Emily pulled on a vest and tied back her hair she was pretty sure the temperature was pushing eighty.

Paige had obviously been feeling the heat when she'd changed too. She was wearing Hawaiian board shorts and a Rosewood Sharks vest. Her cheeks were flushed and she was lying under the open window. Emily sighed as she flopped on to her own bed. She was pretty exhausted from all the swimming, but it was too hot for her to fall asleep. She wasn't sure what time Hanna was supposed to be done with her group work, so she popped in the headphones of her iPod with her music on low and lay down on her bed to wait for her to come back to the cabin. She jumped some time later as she heard Paige's phone go off. The other girl groaned as she blindly groped for her phone on the bedside table. "Hello?" She sighed in to the phone, her voice husky with sleep. "Hey, Mom." She sat up and brushed her hair back from her face. Noticing Emily on the other bunk she nodded her head slightly to acknowledge her as she let out a yawn. "Yeah it's good. Hanna and Emily from school are here for the weekend. Yeah, from the swim team." Paige felt her cheeks flush as her mom tried to give her the third degree on the other girl. Emily's name had been mentioned more than once in her house and Paige's mom, like most mothers, had picked up on just how much she liked the other girl.  
"Actually mom, we're just about to go kayaking. Can I call you back later? Yeah, love you too, bye."

Paige hung up the phone and tossed it down beside her on her bed. "Lying to your mom?" Emily teased with a playful smile as Paige rolled her eyes at her.  
"I am kayaking. See?" She sat up in bed and made a motion as if she were paddling with an imaginary oar. Emily cracked up laughing at the sight of her. The other girl's humour was one of the things she loved most about her.  
"You're too much, McCullers." Emily shook her head at the other girl as she tossed her pillow at her. Paige caught it with ease and popped it behind her head with her own as she lay back down on her side.  
"Hanna not back?"  
"Not yet." Emily shook her head, the silence quickly building between them. Whenever they tended to be left alone it seemed to end badly and Emily wasn't in the mood for another fight. "So what are you wearing tonight?" She tried to keep the conversation light and on something safe; something that wouldn't end in them screaming at each other.

Paige shrugged in reply. She hadn't really thought about it. "You should wear your hair down, it makes you look older…you know, so you don't get carded." Emily helpfully supplied. "And maybe not the board shorts?" She laughed as Paige pulled a face.  
"Hey! These bad boys are my best pair!" In truth they were just the first shorts Paige had found when she'd gotten back to the cabin, but she played it on; enjoying the sound of Emily's laughter filling the room. "With the right pair of heels…what do you think?" She lifted up her long toned leg, pointing out her toes with a grin.  
"Do you even own heels?"  
"I could borrow some from Hanna?"  
"Good luck with that." Emily laughed as she pushed herself up from her bed and padded over to the wardrobe she was sharing with Paige. "Hanna's shoes are like her babies. And you're _not _wearing those shorts. You don't have ID so we need to make you look older." Paige rolled her eyes as Emily started going through their clothes, looking for something that would make the other girl look old enough to be in a bar. Emily smiled as she spotted a familiar black off the shoulder top; the one Paige had worn for their sort of date at the karaoke bar.

"You should wear this one." She held the top up for Paige's inspection. She caught the other girl biting her lip as she stared at the top, obviously thinking back to that night. "It looks nice on you, and that way if you do get carded you can just charm the girl behind the bar…like Cadence said." She tried to laugh, but the sound got stuck in her throat. She knew exactly what Paige meant when she'd said it was too hard for her to be her friend. She was finding it pretty hard to look at Paige and only see a friend herself. She was grateful when the cabin door opened and Hanna walked in, oblivious to the rising tension in the room.  
"Hey guys! So, what's everybody wearing tonight?"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. I couldn't edit it last night as I was working and then I was back in for 5am this morning so pretty much had to go to sleep when I got home. As ever thanks for the feedback, it's definitely encouraging me to keep writing PLL fic. Also this was the last chapter I had ready written, there should only be one more chapter after this but it might take me a couple of days to write and post it.  
**

"Damn McCullers, who knew there was a girl under those sweats?" Cadence teased as she walked in to cabin six, where the other girls were still getting ready. Paige was sitting on her bed, wearing the black off the shoulder top that Emily had suggested along with a tartan skirt and her black boots. Hanna was sitting crossed leg behind her, lightly curling her hair, while Emily was busy putting her mascara on in the mirror. She caught Cadence looking at her from across the room as she flopped on to Emily's bed. She held up a bottle of vodka and some plastic cups like they were trophies. "Who wants one?" She didn't wait for a reply as she started filling the cups. Emily was the first to take one since Hanna was still busy fussing over Paige's hair. She'd done her makeup for her too, making her eyes look dark and smoky. Emily took a drink as their eyes met and the cheap vodka burnt all the way down. She took a second drink before sitting down next to Cade on her bed.

"So what's this bar like?" She quizzed, trying to make conversation with the other girl.  
"Honestly? A dive in the middle of nowhere, but a party is a party, right?" She topped up Emily's cup along with her own.  
"Right." Emily agreed, catching Paige's eye again as the other girl picked up her own cup, Hanna having finally finished with her hair.  
"I'd drink up if I were you Paige; if you get carded you're on coke tonight."  
"Don't you have a fake ID?" Hanna sounded surprised as she turned the curlers on to her own hair.  
"No. Why do you all have them anyway?" Paige huffed. Cade she could understand, she was almost twenty and living away at college, a fake ID for her would be a necessity.

"Ali." Hanna and Emily chorused together to answer her question. Paige rolled her eyes. She should have known their former Queen Bee would have had something to do with it.  
"Oh McCullers, you are _so _square!" Cade laughed, earning a sharp glare from Paige.  
"Am not." She huffed, downing her drink in one to prove it. The cheap vodka tasted foul and she wasn't really a drinker to start with, so it took everything she had not to go off in a coughing fit. Cade smirked at her as she topped up all of their cups again.  
"Well look at that, girls, _fun _Paige is finally putting in an appearance!"  
"Damn straight." Paige laughed as they bumped their cups together, the alcohol already working its way through her system. She would need it to get through a night out with Emily and Hanna.

They had a few drinks in the cabin while Hanna finished getting ready; though Paige was pretty sure her little black dress was probably overdoing it for whatever hole in the wall bar Cade was taking them too. Even she felt overdressed, though she hadn't missed the appreciative looks Emily had sent her way when she'd thought she hadn't been looking. Emily herself was look stunning in a pair of black skinny jeans with a plaid shirt pulled over a plain white vest. It was still pretty warm out despite the sun having disappeared hours ago, which was probably for the best seeing as the girls had to walk a good mile up the road before calling a cab. They didn't want any of the councillors busting them for sneaking out to go drinking; and dressed up the way they were in the middle of nowhere it was pretty obvious what they were sneaking out for. Paige and Emily walked a little ahead of Hanna and Cade, both of who were manoeuvring the gravel path in heels. "Let's see it then." Paige broke the silence as she turned to look at the other girl with a smirk. "The fake ID." She clarified as Emily stared blankly back at her.  
"Oh, here." She dug in to her purse and pulled out driving license that said she was twenty five and Hawaiian. Paige couldn't hold back her laughter at the picture that was clearly not Emily.  
"And this actually works?" She cracked up.

"Yeah, even you could use this card…it's just about being bold. The bolder the move the less anyone questions it." She repeated the advice Alison had given Emily and the girls the night she'd given them their IDs. Paige just laughed as she shook her head and held the card out for Emily to take back.  
"No offence, but that sounds like the kind of crap that Alison DiLaurentis would come out with-"  
"It was." Emily snatched the license back before shoving it in to her pocket, the silence quickly growing thick between them. Emily knew full well that few people had actually liked Ali, hell half of the time _she _hadn't liked her very much, but that hadn't stopped her from caring so deeply for the other girl and defending her memory was almost like second nature to her.  
"Sorry." Paige apologised. She tried to shove her hands in to her pockets until she remembered she was wearing a skirt. She looped her fingers through the belt loops instead, giving her something to fidget with. "I know she was your friend…but she was kind of a bitch too."  
"You didn't even know her." Emily snapped back, a little too defensively. Paige held her hands up in mock surrender.  
"Whatever." She and Emily had had plenty of crossed words since she'd arrived at the camp, Paige wasn't about to start an argument over Alison. The bitch had caused enough problems for her when she'd been alive.

They carried on walking ahead, looking out for the cab that would be waiting for them by the sign for the camp on the main road. The silence was almost crushing, until Emily let out a sigh. "I'm sorry Paige. I know Ali wasn't a saint, but she was my friend, you know? She meant a lot to me."  
"I get it Em. I do…you care enough about someone and they just can't do any wrong." Paige dropped her gaze to the road as she felt a lump forming in her throat. How many times had she defended the other girl and her actions to Pru, her best friend and one of the few people who even knew there had ever been a Paige and Emily.  
"Paige, I-"  
"There's the cab! Woo!" Hanna was already in strong spirits from drinking in the cabin and she was near ecstatic at finally catching sight of the taxi. She and Cadence caught up to the other two girls and whatever Emily had been about to say was left unsaid. The four of them piled in to the car, Paige taking the coveted front seat and leaving the other three to pile in the back.

The bar was exactly what Paige had been expecting, a run-down shack of a place on a turn off in the road in the middle of nowhere. She paid the driver, brushing off Emily's attempts to pay for her and Hanna's half as the other two girls went ahead of them, striding in to the bar like they were meant to be there. Paige looked a little more hesitant about going in, being the only one of them without ID. Without thinking, and the decision fuelled a little by Dutch courage, Emily took one of Paige's hands in her own and gave it a little reassuring squeeze as she pressed her lips to the other girl's cheek. "Be bold." She whispered, before pulling away and following after Hanna. Paige stared after her, not sure she was capable of being anything other than dumbstruck.

Eventually she shook herself off, fluffed up her hair and followed the other girls in; if there was one thing Emily seemed to inspire in her it was boldness. Inside Cadence was already at the bar, ordering a round of drinks as well as some shots. The young woman behind the bar made Aria Montgomery look tall, though she was clearly older. She was pretty enough, with long dark hair pulled back in to a ponytail and pale blemish free skin that made her age difficult to guess. She didn't ask for ID, just as Cade had predicted, though her gaze did linger on Paige as she handed over the drinks. Remembering Emily's borrowed words of wisdom she forced a smile as she reached out for her glass first. "Hi." The girl behind the bar shot her an amused smile back as she took the money from Cade.  
"Hey." Her eyes made a less than subtle assessment of Paige as she handed Cadence her change and the younger girl felt her cheeks burning. She had intended to try and come off as bold and confident, not flirtatious. Either way the move seemed to have worked as the four girls took a booth at the back of the bar without being questioned. The place was pretty empty, with only a few guys sitting at the bar, and older couple having dinner in the booth behind them and a couple of college kids on the pool table. The jukebox in the corner was playing some old country song on low.

"Nice one, McCullers!" Cadence laughed as she glanced back at the bartender and found the other girl watching Paige walking over to the booth. Paige, who felt like she was about to die of embarrassment, rolled her eyes at her friend.  
"I was just trying to be friendly!"  
"I think she definitely wants to get friendly with you!" Hanna laughed, she and Cadence making some sort of double act.  
"She seems nice." Emily added, though her smile came of as a little forced as she looked over at Paige from the other side of the booth.  
"Next round is on you, Paige!" Cade teased, earning a kick under the table from the younger girl who was sat beside her.

Paige managed to avoid going for the next round of drinks as Emily volunteered, but the round after she was sent up to the bar. She still felt like her cheeks were on fire as she approached the young woman behind the bar. "Uh, hi."  
"Hey." The dark haired woman repeated, another amused smile playing on her lips as though Paige had just cracked a joke. "What can I get you?"  
"Uh…" Paige faltered, somehow having already managed to forget what the others had asked for. Cade and Emily were sticking to vodka, but Hanna had asked for some campy sounding cocktail or other.  
"Same again?" The woman quizzed, already reaching for a bottle of house vodka.  
"Yeah…thanks." Paige's earlier confidence had disappeared and she was practically shaking at the bar, worried that the woman would pick up on her nerves and ask her for ID.

Her worst fears were confirmed as she went to hand over her money and the other woman caught her wrist as she leant in close to her. "How old are you?"  
"Uh, twenty-one?" Paige felt her voice choking in her throat as her anxiety got the better of her. The bartender laughed as she watched the younger girl squirm.  
"Relax, we're not too strict on age in here…as long as you're over eighteen." She shot Paige a wink as she let go of her wrist and headed over to the cash register. Having not long turned seventeen, Paige smiled awkwardly at her. She took a long sip from her own drink to steady her nerves.

"I'm Chrissie by the way." The older woman informed her as she handed over her change, her fingers deliberately lingering against Paige's.  
"P-Paige." She stuttered. She'd never had another girl flirting so blatantly with her; not one that wasn't Emily Fields anyway. She was about to make a hasty retreat back to the booth when Cadence bounced up beside her, throwing Chrissie the barmaid a charming grin as she leant down on the bar.  
"Hey, can we have the cue ball for the pool table?" The college kids had left, leaving the table free.  
"Sure, it's a five dollar deposit." Chrissie took the money from Cadence and placed the ball on the tray that Paige was carrying. "Have fun girls."

"Oh my god, you are so in there!" Cade grinned as she followed Paige over to the pool table, where Emily and Hanna were already waiting. Emily was racking up the balls like she knew what she was doing. Paige wouldn't have been surprised if her fellow athlete was a natural at the game. She seemed to be good at everything else.  
"I'm not interested." Paige rolled her eyes. Chrissie was an attractive woman, but she couldn't hold a candle to Emily. With her fellow Shark in the bar there was little chance of Paige noticing anyone else; though she didn't miss the way Emily's lips seemed to purse as Cadence mentioned the girl from behind the bar. "Are we playing or what?" She put the white ball down on the table before picking up her drink.

"This is so unfair! Paige is worse than Spencer!" Hanna huffed as the other girl sunk the black ball in to one of the bottom pockets of the table. They'd been playing for a couple of hours and Paige had already beaten all of the girls individually as well as in games of doubles. The only time Hanna had managed to win a single game had been when she and Paige had taken on Emily and Cade; and Paige had done most of the work.  
"McCullers vs. Hastings, that's a match I'd pay to see." Emily laughed loudly as she sipped at her drink. She was perched on a barstool with her shirt discarded on the back of it, and Paige couldn't help but admire the view.

Her attention was taken away from the dark haired beauty as Chrissie the barmaid came over to collect their empty glasses. "Want a real game?" She challenged with a smirk.  
"Know anyone who can play?" Paige shot back with a smirk of her own. They'd had a few rounds and she was feeling more than a little buzzed. She'd lost her nervous stutter around the older woman and she was certainly feeling a little bolder. It felt nice to have someone else's attention, though admittedly she'd only started flirting back with the older woman once she'd realised how much it was pissing Emily off. She felt Emily's eyes burning in to her as she racked up and handed Chrissie one of the cues to break. It felt good to know Emily was paying attention to her; even if it was for all the wrong reasons.

"How about we make this interesting?" The older girl proposed as she struck the cue ball and sent it crashing in to the other balls. "You win I'll give you and your friends a round on the house."  
"And if you win?" Paige questioned as she took her shot, sinking one of the balls first time. She lined up to take her second shot and almost missed all together as she felt Chrissie pressing herself up behind her.  
"Then I get your phone number." She chuckled as she moved to take her shot. She potted two balls, putting her ahead, but Paige wasn't deterred.  
"Deal."

"Excuse me." Emily put her glass down and went off to find the bathroom. She stood in front of the bathroom mirror and splashed some cold water on her face, hating how jealous she felt at the sight of Paige flirting with the other girl. They were _just_ friends; and that had mostly been Emily's decision. She had no right to feel angry, yet she wanted to slap the smug grin off the barmaid's face every time she so much as looked at Paige.  
"Are you ok?" Hanna appeared behind her and Emily had trouble focusing on her friend in the mirror. Despite promising not to drink much she had matched Cadence shot for shot and she was starting to feel the effects of trying to keep up with the older college girl.

"Fine." Emily tried lying to her, but Hanna wasn't buying it. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared expectantly at her friend, waiting for her to talk about whatever was getting to her. "Ok, that girl flirting with Paige is really bugging me! It shouldn't but-"  
"She's your ex Em, you're allowed to get pissed off when some girl flirts with her." Hanna insisted as she perched herself on the sink. "I'm with Caleb and I still get a teensy bit bothered when I see girls throwing themselves at Sean…Caleb doesn't hear about that by way." She added sternly. She loved her boyfriend deeply, but jealousy was a natural human response. "For what it's worth, you're so much prettier than that bar whore."  
"Thanks Han." Emily laughed as she checked her hair in the mirror. Once she was ready to face Paige and her newfound friend again she followed Hanna out and back over to the pool table just in time to see her fellow Shark sink the black ball again.

"Looks like this round's on you." Paige smirked at the older girl as she put her cue down. It had been a close game but she'd managed to pull ahead right at the end. The older woman was a graceful loser and held her hands up defeat with a playful smile, promised to be right back with their drinks. She served the couple of people waiting by the bar, which was still nearly empty, before returning with a tray of drinks and some shots.  
"So does this mean I don't get your number?" She pouted as Paige picked up a glass.  
"Sorry, you lost." Paige shrugged; grinning as the other girl playfully rolled her eyes.  
"Damn, you're really going to make me work for this number aren't you?" Chrissie laughed as she leant in close, brushing a stray curl away from Paige's face. The younger girl stiffened at the contact. She had only been trying to make Emily jealous; she hadn't expected Chrissie to actually make a move. As she leant in to try and kiss her Paige pulled back.  
"Uh, sorry…I…I…sorry." Paige ducked her head and made a beeline for the door.

She was practically hyperventilating as she made it outside. She was bent over by a car, just trying to focus on breathing, when she felt a hand on the small of her back. She jumped, expecting to see the barmaid behind her. She turned to find Emily standing beside her, and she wasn't sure whether that was better or worse. "Hey, are you ok?" She kept her hand on Paige's back, rubbing in small circles to try and calm her down. She shook her head, suddenly feeling a lot more drunk now that she was outside.  
"No. She tried to kiss me, and I freaked…"  
"You only just met her tonight, Paige. You don't have to kiss her if you don't-"  
"It's not that." Paige interrupted. She lifted her head to look at the other girl and suddenly realised how close they were sat together. Her gaze lingered on Emily's soft full lips. She couldn't tear her eyes away, even as Emily pulled her hand back and shifted uncomfortably beside her. Paige leant in, unable to stop herself as her lips grazed against Emily's and she sighed softly against them, "She's not you."

When Emily didn't immediately pull away in disgust or anger, Paige decided to push her luck, pressing her lips more firmly against Emily's before she began to slowly move them. Emily kissed back, albeit hesitantly. The kiss was slow and clumsy; and brief. Emily pulled away after a few seconds, shaking her head as she pushed herself back up to her feet to put some distance between them. "I'm sorry, I can't… I just can't." She retreated back in to the bar and Paige was too embarrassed to chase after her. She sat where she was on the steps, wishing that the ground would just open up and swallow her whole. How many times was she going to let herself act like a fool around the one girl she really couldn't afford to fall out with? Emily's friendship meant the world to her, and she couldn't risk losing it by doing stupid shit like trying to kiss her. Things were what they were and Paige was just going to have to learn to accept that. Emily wasn't hers.

Inside the bar Emily had slipped past Hanna and Cadence and in to the bathroom, where she was splashing water on her face as the door opened. She tensed, expecting to look up and find Paige standing behind her. She found Chrissie the barmaid instead. She was leaning against the door with her arms crossed over her chest. "Your friend ran a mile when I tried for a kiss. I'm guessing that she's either _really _shy, or it's got something to do with you; seeing as she hasn't taken her eyes off you all night." Emily laughed at her reflection as she realised the other girl had no clued about the complicated history between her and Paige, and she couldn't even begin to explain it to a stranger.

"You have no idea." She muttered bitterly, not wanting to get in to anything with the older woman as she tried to walk past her.  
"Why don't you enlighten me?" Chrissie challenged, not making any attempt to move out of her way. "I don't usually chase girls, but in your friend's case I might just be willing to make an exception." She spoke with an air of conviction and the confidence of a player.  
"You want to know about Paige?" Emily snapped, her patience finally breaking. "She's pretty and funny, and sometimes she can be a little crazy, but she's a _good _person…and she doesn't deserve people like _us_ screwing her over! Oh, and she's seventeen." Emily added with a sickly sweet false smile that would have made even Ali proud. She shoved past her and stormed out of the door, walking straight over to Hanna who was alone at the table. "We have to leave, _now_." Hanna had watched the bartender follow Emily in to the bathroom and didn't ask any questions as she picked up her purse.

They found Cade sitting with Paige outside on the steps. "I called us a cab." Cadence informed them as Paige sat staring at her hands, refusing to even acknowledge Emily's presence. Cade had come out to see if she was ok, she had correctly guessed that Emily had something to do with Paige's mood, but she hadn't been able to get the younger girl to talk about it. When the taxi arrived Paige got in the front again, leaving the other three in the back. She kept her gaze on the strip of road illuminated by the car's head lamps, but occasionally her traitorous eyes would travel up to the rear-view mirror, catching a glimpse of Emily in the back.

Nothing ever changed. They were constantly playing a game of push and pull and Paige was growing tired of it. As hard as she tried she just couldn't get the other girl out of her head. She had tried being her friend and she had tried avoiding her all together, but nothing seemed to work. No matter what she did she just didn't seem to be able to escape the trap of being in love with Emily Fields. She swallowed hard and dropped her gaze as Emily caught her looking at her. The car suddenly felt a lot smaller. Paige wanted to tell the driver to stop. She wanted to throw open the door and just run away from everything that was plaguing her; from those big brown eyes that were burning holes straight through her. Except she couldn't go anywhere, she couldn't have any space because Emily would be sleeping a foot away from her; she wasn't anywhere ready to think about that so she slumped down in her seat and tried to ignore the twisting feeling in her guts as Cadence announced she had another bottle hidden in her cabin and the night was far from over.

The cab dropped them off on the main road and they walked back to the camp in near silence, not wanting anyone to catch them sneaking back in so late. With their girls off camping they didn't need to worry about being quiet once they got back to the cabin and Cadence and Hanna were in pretty high spirits as they opened a second bottle of cheap vodka. "What the hell kind of measures are those?" Paige frowned as Cade filled four tumblers up to the top, emptying almost the whole bottle out.  
"We're playing a game!" Cadence announced with a grin as she handed the glasses over to the other girls. She took a seat beside Paige on her bed, leaving Hanna and Emily on the bottom bunk bed. "It's called _'_I have never'. Someone says something and if you have done it you drink, but if nobody's done then _everybody _drinks, and if only one person hasn't done it then they take two drinks."  
"So we pretty much drink?" Hanna laughed, clearly liking the sound of the rules of the game.  
"Pretty much." Cade grinned. "I'll go first. I have never run out of a bar when a barmaid has tried to kiss me." She shot Paige a sly smirk as the younger girl rolled her eyes and took a drink.

They took it in turns to say something and it soon became clear that, as the oldest, Cade had done a _lot _of things; but after a little while they were all comfortably buzzed and the tension in the room seemed to ease. When it came to Hanna's turn she picked something she thought was obvious to make the others drink. "I have never kissed a girl!" It backfired though as the other three drank.  
"Sorry Han, looks like everybody else has. Double drink!" Cadence whooped as the younger blonde huffed and took a drink. It was Cadence's turn next, and having noticed Emily had taken a drink on the last one she decided to up the ante.

"I have never…" Cade started and another smirk crossed her lips as she caught sight of Paige out of the corner of her eye. "Slept with a girl." She waited a beat, to see if Paige would drink. The younger girl had admitted to being gay, but she'd been pretty quiet about the details; Cade didn't know much except for her crush on Emily. When Paige didn't move to drink she rolled her eyes and took a drink herself. She almost choked as Emily brought her glass up to her lips and took a sip.

"Fields? Damn girl you are full of surprises!" She laughed as Emily's cheeks went red and she ducked her head.  
"Emily's been with loads of girls!" A slightly slurring Hanna helpfully informed the other blonde.  
"Hanna!" Emily's eyes widened in horror as one of her best friends made her out to sound like a slut. "One. I've slept with one girl." She took another drink, trying to numb the pain of thinking about Maya.  
"You're gay?" Cadence was taken by surprise as Emily nodded. She had thought that Paige was so mopey about liking Emily because the other girl was straight. If Emily was gay she wasn't quite sure what Paige's problem was.  
"Paige didn't tell you?" Emily asked, not meaning anything by it; but a less than sober Paige thought she was taking a swipe at her and her usual defence mechanism kicked in; sarcasm.  
"Sorry Fields, I must have forgotten to mention it. Cade, this is Emily Fields and she likes the breast stroke."

Hanna snorted in to her glass and Cade bit back a giggle as Emily's eyes narrowed on Paige. They were darker than usual and Paige would have been worried, had she not already been drunk. "My turn? I've never tried to _drown _anybody."  
"I didn't try and drown you! I held your head under for like five seconds-" Paige started, but was abruptly cut off by Cadence laughing. She unscrewed the cap on the vodka bottle and emptied what was left between the four glasses. She had a feeling they would be needing a lot more to drink.  
"Wow, high school dating has changed so much since my day!"  
"We weren't exactly dating." Paige muttered, though the fight was starting to leave her as she sipped at her drink. She hadn't meant to start yet another argument with Emily.

"I can imagine your idea of a date McCullers! So was it a marathon or a football game?" Cadence teased, trying to lighten the mood up in the cabin.  
"Hey!" Paige protested, playfully slogging the other girl in the arm. The sight of the two of them had Emily's stomach in knots, and not for the first time that weekend she found herself jealous of someone else having Paige's attention. She was quickly growing tired of the sensation.  
"Actually she's pretty good at spontaneous dates." Emily's lips curled up in to a smile, the alcohol loosening them as she caught Paige's attention again.  
"The karaoke bar?" Paige quizzed. It hadn't really been a date, or spontaneous. She'd spent a week planning where she could go to meet Emily away from prying eyes.  
"The picnic actually." Emily corrected her. It had been a nice afternoon, despite how it had ended. They'd spent it lying on a picnic rug, holding hands and staring up at the sky, picking out shapes in the clouds whilst singing along with the radio. It hadn't been anything spectacular, but the afternoon had stuck in Emily's mind. It had been easy and carefree; at least until it had ended. Paige nodded, wearing a small smile of her own. Hanna cleared her throat, reminding Emily they weren't alone in the room and she quickly tried to change the conversation. "Whose turn is it?"


	6. Chapter 6

The four girls had given up on playing drinking games in favour of just drinking and chatting, and by the time they ran out of alcohol Hanna was practically catatonic lying across Emily's bunk. Emily had moved over on to Paige's bed with the other two girls and they were talking quietly over Hanna's snoring. At some point during the night Emily and Paige had subconsciously shifted closer and their knees were brushing against each other. Emily felt quite content just sitting next to the other girl. They'd managed to avoid any more arguments or touchy subjects. "I think I'm going to call it a night girls." Cade sighed as she stretched and climbed off the bunk.  
"I'll walk you back." Paige offered as she pulled herself up off the bed too. Emily missed the warmth at her side almost immediately and Cade, noticing her slightly disgruntled expression, gave her a lopsided grin.  
"And they say chivalry is dead!"

Emily smiled up at her, her soft brown doe eyes were glazed over from all the vodka, but there was still a spark of something there; something that looked a lot like jealousy. Cadence decided to give her friend a helping hand in more ways than one as she laced her fingers through Paige's, acting as though she was a little more unsteady on her feet than she actually was. "See you in the morning Em."  
"Goodnight." Emily smiled politely as she got to her feet and tried to wake Hanna up so she could get her bed back. The other two girls slipped out of the cabin and walked across the field towards cabin five.

"You and Emily…spill." Cadence ordered as she fished her key out of her pocket and Paige leant against the door of her cabin. She really was feeling unsteady on her feet and without Cade to hold on to the world around her was beginning to spin in and out of focus. She'd offered to walk her back to try and clear her head with some fresh air, but it seemed to have had the opposite effect on her. She managed to follow the blonde in to the room and slumped down on her spare bed as Cade crashed out on her own. "I thought she was straight! Why the hell aren't you hitting that?"  
"Because I fucked up." Paige grumbled. "She was the first person I told about how I am; which is pretty ironic seeing as she was the one who made me realise I was this way in the first place-"

"Gay. You can say the word you know?" Cadence teased. She rolled on to her side and propped herself up on one arm to face the other girl. "So what happened with you two? You obviously dated."

"I wasn't ready for people to know and she wasn't willing to hide. By the time I was comfortable enough for people to know, well her first girlfriend was back on the scene and I didn't stand a chance."  
"Are you kidding? You're hot McCullers, and you have the whole swimming thing in common. You can totally get Emily back from this girl-"  
"She died." Paige interrupted, instantly silencing the other girl. "She was murdered a few months ago and nobody knows what happened. Emily's been pretty cut up about it, that's why Hanna brought her here this weekend."  
"Murdered? Jesus! But still, she's single right?"

"Not really the most important point." Paige rolled her eyes at the other girl's candour. "She doesn't need me hitting on her Cade. She needs a friend."  
"She has Hanna for that. What she needs from you is a good fu-"  
"Goodnight Cade." The younger girl pulled herself up from the spare bunk to head back over to her cabin. "Oh, I think I'll skip our run in the morning."  
"Me and you both." Cade laughed as she waved the younger girl off.

Paige made her way back over to the cabin she was sharing with Hanna and Emily. She stumbled through the door and frowned as she found Emily lying in her bed. She'd changed in to her pyjamas and she looked quite comfortable with Paige's comforter wrapped around her. She felt something stirring in her at the sight of Emily lying in _her _bed. "Wrong bed, Fields." She was amazed that she was able to stop her voice from trembling as she walked over to the closet. She pulled her bed shorts on before pulling her skirt down and then exchanged her top for her Sharks vest.

"Hanna wouldn't move out of mine." Emily grumbled. "And I can't manage the steps for the top bunk."  
"Too bad, because I can't either." Paige eyed the offending steps warily. She was too drunk to try and take on the challenge of the three steps that led up to the top bunk. The last thing she needed going in to her senior year was to break something falling off of the bunk. "Looks like you're sharing with Marin." She tried prodding Emily, to get her to move, but the other girl just grumbled again and rolled over, turning her back on Paige and making herself more comfortable.  
"No way…she kicks in her sleep."

"She's your friend and this is _my _bed! So move out or move over, Fields!" It was an empty threat. She had no intentions of sharing a bed with Emily. She expected her to give up and climb in to bed with Hanna; so she was more than a little shocked when Emily scooted over to the far side of the bed and pulled the covers back, inviting her in to bed. Paige felt her mouth going dry as she stared down at the small space beside Emily on the bunk. They would practically be lying on top of each other, and even in her drunken state Paige recognised that it would probably end badly.

Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, she climbed in to bed beside the dark haired beauty that she had craved for so long. She was calling Emily's bluff. The other girl's eyes widened a little as slipped in beside her, but she made no attempt to move from Paige's bed. "Goodnight then." She choked out as she rolled on to her side to face the wall, presenting her back to Paige.  
"'Night." Paige mumbled, suddenly feeling a hell of a lot more sober with Emily pressed right against her, the bare skin of her arms and thighs seemingly touching her everywhere. She lay with her back to the other girl, practically hanging over the edge of the tiny bunk. Emily was pressed right up against the wall, and neither of them was particularly comfortable.

"Your feet are cold!" Emily grumbled as she tried to pull her knees up to her chest, but the movement pushed Paige even further towards the edge of the bed. She could see herself waking up on the floor in the morning if she didn't do something about their positions.

She turned over so she was lying on her side and facing Emily, which gave her a little more space. The shift in the way she was lying left her with a new problem though; she was pretty much spooning the other girl and her entire body felt on fire everywhere they were touching. She lay quietly for a second, waiting to see how Emily would react. Surprisingly she didn't start kicking and screaming, she actually shuffled back, pressing herself even further against the other girl. Paige tentatively draped an arm over her stomach as she laid her head down on the single pillow. She felt the muscles in Emily's abdomen pushing against her fingers as she chuckled softly. "Figures you'd be the big spoon."

Paige's lips curled up in to a smile in response. They were lying so close that the movement caused her lips to brush against the soft skin of Emily's neck. Both girls fell still and silent as they lay there in the dark, the sound of Hanna's snoring filling the silent cabin. After a beat Paige moved her lips again, this time deliberately pressing them to Emily's neck. She heard a soft moan escaping from the other girl's lips and it was all the encouragement she needed to keep going. "Stop." Emily pleaded, even as she turned to meet Paige's lips with her own. As their lips met the kissing became more frantic and urgent, both knowing it could stop at any time.

"I can't." Paige was unrepentant as she kissed her, making no attempt to pull away. It had been months since she had felt Emily's lips against her own. She knew that the kiss wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't fix what had happened between them; but a part of her hoped that it would. That if she could just keep kissing Emily for long enough then the world would magically right itself.

The world didn't work that way though, and Paige almost groaned in frustration as Emily finally pulled away. Their positions had shifted a little as Emily had rolled over to face her and she found the other girl had somehow ended up straddling her hips. Paige's hands found their way to Emily's bare thighs, sitting just below her shorts, as she tried to sit up and kiss her again. Emily placed a hand flat on her chest as she pushed her back down against the pillow. "I can't do this." She choked out and her eyes were watering. She looked as lost and broken as the night Paige had found her at the school natatorium. Paige was torn between doing what was best for her friend, and satisfying her overwhelming _need_ for the other girl. She settled for reaching a hand out to cup her cheek, her thumb brushing away a stray tear that had fallen. Emily turned her head, her soft lips pressing against the pad of her hand.

Paige's eyes closed of their own accord as she bit back an exasperated sigh. Emily had no idea what kind of effect she had on her. She was struggling to keep herself from sitting up and crushing her lips against Emily's, taking what she so desperately needed from the exquisite girl straddling her waist. "I'm sorry. I'm not doing this to hurt you." Emily sobbed, her tears falling freely as Paige sat up to wrap her arms around her. She held her close, sitting quietly as Emily cried in to her shoulder.

"I know you're not." She soothed. It didn't mean she wasn't hurting though. Their endless game of push and pull was getting all too much and Paige was starting to seriously consider whether she could have Emily in her life as _just _a friend. Would it be easier on both of them if she just cut Emily out of her life all together? Would it be better if Paige just kept her distance? Could she ever get over the girl who had stolen her heart long before she had even realised she wanted her to have it?

She moved so that they were lying down on their sides again, her arms still wrapped protectively around Emily's waist as she pressed her lips to her cheek. "You're drunk and you're tired. You just need some sleep." Paige suddenly felt a lot more sober and she reluctantly let go of the other girl as she made to get off the bed. Emily caught her hand and pulled her arm back around her.  
"Stay? Please?" Her big brown eyes were wide and pleading as she stared up at Paige, needing her more than she could ever put in to words. Her friend and teammate had been a rock since Mayas' death and she wasn't quite ready to let her go. She knew it was selfish and maybe a little cruel to ask Paige to stay, but she was craving the comfort that the other girl could offer her.

"I'm not going anywhere." Paige choked out. Unable to deny Emily anything she lay back down beside her. She felt a lump forming in her throat as they lay there in the dark and she closed her eyes as she felt hot stinging tears welling up in them. Emily was already falling apart; Paige had to be strong enough for both of them.  
"I'm sorry." Emily repeated, her voice already taking on a faraway quality as she started to succumb to sleep.  
"It's ok. Just go to sleep…things will look better in the morning." It was a lie of course. Things would probably be much worse in the morning. Emily would wake with a hangover and a burning sense of regret at having kissed Paige. She would be quiet and distance until she left the camp, and Paige would be left wondering whether they could ever really be friends; and if she would ever taste Emily's lips on her own again. Knowing all of this, Paige held on to the other girl a little more tightly, not quite ready to let go.

It didn't take either of them long to fall asleep and when Paige woke up several hours later she found herself still wrapped around the other girl. She glanced cautiously over at the other bunk, where Hanna was still out cold with the blanket half over her head. Emily was still sleeping soundly, though she had turned over in the night so she was facing in to Paige with her head on her shoulder and one arm draped loosely over her chest. Paige was definitely feeling the effects of drinking so much, with her head feeling like it was going to literally fall off her shoulders as she shifted slightly to press her lips to Emily's forehead. She felt like death warmed up and was definitely in no hurry to get out of bed, so she settled back down and closed her eyes over, hoping to get another few hours before the others returned from their camping.

She wasn't sure how long she had drifted off for before and explosion of noise roused her awake again. She heard the front door of the main cabin slam open, followed by a gaggle of excited teenage voices. She groaned as her eyes opened and she found the morning light flooding her vision. The pounding in her head had somehow managed to get even worse and between her dry mouth and dead shoulder she felt like hell. Emily was still lying on her, hence the dead arm and shoulder, but she began to stir as she heard the noise from next door. Across the room Hanna let out what sounded like a whimper as she pulled the blanket fully over her head in an attempt to drown out the noise of the jovial teenage girls.

Emily's eyes opened a crack as she lifted her head in an attempt to figure out where she was and why one side of her body felt so warm. Discovering she was cuddled in to Paige's side she let out a huff of air before putting her head back down on her shoulder. Her eyes closed over again and it didn't look like she was in any kind of hurry to get up. A small smile tugged at Paige's lips as she watched her falling back to sleep. Despite her raging hangover she was pretty content, happy to just lie there with the girl of her dreams wrapped around her. The tranquillity of the moment was broken as the inner door of the cabin burst open and Sara and the twins appeared at the doorway, shouting loudly about how great camping in the woods had been. They were used to Paige having the room to herself and she'd had a pretty open door policy in regards to them going in her room, but they seemed to realise they'd done the wrong thing by bursting in without knocking. With Hanna buried under her blanket all the younger girls could see was Paige and Emily sharing the far bunk.

"Ughhh…My head!" Emily grumbled as Paige shot up, dislodging her from where she had been nestled comfortably in to her shoulder.  
"Whoa! Sorry." Tory, the oldest twin held her hand up in front of her face as she let out a giggle and disappeared back in to the other room, dragging her twin along with her and no doubt gleefully announcing that she'd just caught the two older girls in bed together; not that they had actually been doing anything, but Paige still felt her cheeks colouring. What had Emily said to her about falling out of the closet and on to her face? She suddenly had a good idea of what that felt like as Sara just stood there staring at her with wide eyes and an open mouth. Emily, having finally noticed the teens, sat up and scooted back so she was sitting against the wall. Paige pushed the bed covers away as she tried to think of something to say that would fix what had just happened. She had visions of the girls running to Julie and outing her, demanding a new peer councillor and refusing to bunk with a lesbian; she'd have to leave the camp, her dad would be furious at the embarrassment, he'd start kicking off about her sexuality again and maybe even blaming Emily…

"Sara, I…" she opened her mouth, struggling to find the words she needed that would fix things. She faltered as she felt Emily squeezing her hand, trying to give her some sort of reassurance. Paige had come out to her parents and to a few friends, but she hadn't had to face a group of fourteen year old girls and announce her sexuality before. She turned to smile at Emily, silently thanking her for being there for her, but when she turned back to talk to Sara she had vanished, closing the door behind her.

Paige sighed as she slumped back on to the bed and covered her face with her hands. "God this isn't happening."  
"We weren't doing anything, Paige." Emily shifted a little uncomfortably as she put her hand on Paige's shoulder. They had after all only been sleeping. Emily had shared a bed with a friend countless times before; though admittedly few if any of them had been an ex-girlfriend. She felt partially responsible since she'd refused to share a bed with Hanna. She'd been greedy though, needing Paige's company the night before far too much to turn her away. Her unintentional selfishness had once again gone and hurt the other girl. She really didn't mean to play with her feelings, but it just seemed too hard to stop the lines between friendship and something more blurring together whenever they spent any time around each other.

"Try telling _them _that." She groaned, wondering how long it would take before Julie kicked her out of the camp.  
"_You _tell them." Emily's tone held an air of confidence that had been missing for quite some time. Her expression was resolute as she climbed out of bed and tugged Paige to her feet. "So what you're gay? It's not a crime. Just go in there and tell Tory that _nothing _happened and it's none of her damn business if anything did anyway. What?" Emily frowned as she found Paige grinning at her.  
"Nothing." She shrugged, barely supressing her smirk as she shook her head. "It's just…I thought I was supposed to be the ballsy one." Emily rolled her eyes as she shoved her towards the door.

She knew Emily was right though. She had to get a handle on the situation and the first thing to do was to put a stop to the gossiping. Taking a deep breath she walked through in to the other room. The teenage girls, who had all previously been talking in loud excited voices, fell silent. Five of them were huddled around one of the bunks, with Tory at the centre of attention. No doubt she was putting her own little spin on finding the two older girls in bed together. Sara was sat in her own bunk, her headphones shoved over her ears and the volume cranked up to a deafening level. Paige gestured for her to remove the headphones and the sulking teen grumpily complied.

She cleared her throat, getting the attention of the other girls in the room. Her hands were balled in to fists at her sides and she felt sick to her stomach at the thought of publically announcing her sexuality to so many people at once. Some of the kids, like Sara, she had known for years, and it felt strange to finally be admitting she wasn't what she pretended to be. "Uh, Tory's obviously been filling you in on finding me and Ems in bed together." There were a couple of hushed whispers and some silly giggling, but Paige silenced the room again with a stern glare. She carried on unfazed. "And yes, I'm…I'm gay, but Emily and I are just friends." The truth tasted bitter on her tongue. The other girls looked sceptically amongst themselves and Paige was glad to feel Emily standing behind her. If there was going to be some kind of fallout she was glad to have the other girl supporting her. Emily had been her entire motivation for coming out, and even if she'd missed her chance with her she was still thankful that admitting who she was to the rest of the world had helped her grow in to herself. She felt more like herself with Emily around then she did without her.

"Ok." Tory shrugged, breaking the deafening silence that had settled over the cabin. "Oh, and I wasn't talking about you. We were camping with the guys from cabin two and Josh Henson asked me out." The fourteen year old beamed, oblivious to the heart palpations Paige was suffering as she realised she had just outed herself for no reason.

"So…you guys don't have a problem with me?" She quizzed, her brain still not processing their lack of reaction. Behind her Emily was biting back a smile, happy to see that the girls weren't bothered by their peer councillor's sexuality.  
"Of course not, you're awesome Paige." Little Hannah piped up and the rest of the girls chirped in with their agreement.  
"Yeah, besides we all kind of thought you were doing it with that blonde girl from the cabin next door. You might want to come up with a better cover story than _jogging. _I mean, who goes jogging at 5am unless they're getting some, right?" Tory began reassuring Paige before she broke off on a tangent and the other girls joined in, discussing who else at the camp was gay and who was hooking up with whom. Paige shook her head as she left them to it and followed Emily back in to their room.

"Wow." She exclaimed as she shut the door behind her and slumped against it. "That didn't go how I expected it to." She had been ready for the worst, expecting protest and pitchforks, but the girls had brushed aside her admission in favour of camp gossip. It really didn't bother them that Paige was gay; except for Sara. She had skulked off while Paige had been staring slack jawed at Tory as she announced that they all thought she was with Cade anyway. She knew the younger girl looked up to her as some sort of role model and she was worried she had upset her by admitting she wasn't straight. When she conveyed her fears to Emily the other girl struggled not to roll her eyes.

"I think you should go talk to her." Emily insisted as she climbed back in to bed and wrapped the comforter around her. Part of Paige just wanted to ignore whatever was going on with Sara and to climb back in to bed with Emily; but she knew that opportunity had come and gone. However Emily had needed her the night before, in the sober light of day she needed her as a friend.

Sighing Paige pulled on her Penn State hoodie, noticing how Emily's scent still clung to the fabric, and went outside in search of Sara. She found her sitting outside on the steps outside of the door. Paige, who was still feeling a little worse for wear from the night before, sat down beside her and pulled her knees up to her chest, pulling her hoodie down over her legs to keep warm. Sara didn't acknowledge her. She just sat staring out across the lake at the bottom of the field and the older teen wasn't sure what she was meant to say to her. She was supposed to be a peer councillor, there to help the girls settle in to life at camp and to be a friend when they needed one, but she wasn't quite sure what the younger girl's problem was so she had no advice to offer.

"How can you stand there in a room full of people and tell them…" Sara pulled a face and Paige felt the pit of her stomach sinking as she mistook her reaction for disgust. She had thought Sara of all the girls would have taken the news well, but she seemed to be struggling over it. "How can you be so brave?" Her expression changed to one of utter adoration again and Paige felt herself relax. She finally felt like she was on levelling footing again as the pieces of the puzzle slotted in to place.  
"I wasn't always this brave." She admitted, offering the other girl an easy smile. "It took me a long time to be able to stand there and tell everybody about me…and even then it took one last push."

"I think…I think I might be gay." Sara kept her gaze low on the water as she said the words out loud for the first time. "There's this girl I really like, from school, and she's totally _amazing, _but she's older and she just sees me as this little kid…I want to tell her how I feel, but I'm afraid…" Tears started sliding down her cheeks as she finally opened about her confusing feelings for the older girl.

"Want to know a secret?" Paige asked, not quite able to deal with a crying fourteen year old girl. She came from a very emotionally stoic family and with few female friends outside of the swim team she wasn't used to dealing with the touchy feely emotional stuff. The younger girl nodded as she wiped at her eyes with the back of her sleeve. "I had a crush on a girl in my class when I was your age." She had fallen for Emily the first day of Junior High; though at the time she hadn't quite understood her attraction. She'd thought she'd wanted to be her friend and she would have given anything to be friends with Emily Fields back then, but Allison had put a stop to that happening. She kept her tight niche group of friends all to herself, especially Emily. She'd seen right through Paige and had warned her off of the other girl a few times.

"What did you do?" Sara sniffled, finally managing to get her crying under control.  
"Well… I was a jerk to her. I was fourteen and I had all these feelings that I didn't understand, feelings that pretty much terrified me. _She _terrified me." Paige admitted with something of a cross between a laugh and sigh. Emily shifted by the door, feeling uneasy about eavesdropping on them, but unable to walk away as Paige confided in the younger girl. "She was cute and funny and popular and everybody loved her. She just had this way of making people feel at ease around her…except for me. Every time she smiled at me, or said hello, I felt like I was going to spontaneously combust or something. I wasn't ready to feel how I did about her. I was too young, too scared…but things changed. I got older and I got comfortable with who I was."  
"Did you tell the girl? The one you liked?" Sara asked, enthralled by Paige's story.

At the same time the older girl looked up and caught Emily watching them. She swallowed hard as a sad smile crossed her lips. "I did…and for a second she liked me back; but I screwed it up. I wasn't ready and I lost her. Take it from me, it's easier for other people to accept who you are if _you _accept it. Just be comfortable with yourself and this girl will realise how totally awesome you are."  
"Thanks Paige." The other girl blushed as she leant forward and quickly pressed her lips to Paige's cheek. She pulled away just as quickly and scampered back inside the cabin, narrowly avoiding crashing in to Emily.

"You do know she was talking about you, right?" Emily smirked as she took a seat beside Paige on the steps of the cabin. She drew her knees up to her chest and brought her chin down to rest on them as the other girl looked bewildered at her.  
"No, she was talking about this girl at school…" Paige started, but then something seemed to click in to place and she stopped. "Oh… crap." Emily laughed at her frown and shook her head.  
"You really are oblivious to the effect you have on girls, McCullers." She teased, earning a playful shove from the other girl. "And for the record, it wasn't just you who screwed up…I should have fought for us too. I shouldn't have given up on you when you weren't ready to come out. I was in the same place once too and Maya was the one who helped me out of it. I should have been there to do the same for you."

"You did help me Em. I saw how confident you were in yourself, and it pushed me to keep going; to get to that place that I wanted to be. I just got there a little too late for you... You know, when I saw Maya was back in town I knew I didn't stand a chance, and I still don't. I can't live up to a ghost Emily."  
"I'm not asking you to." Emily took hold of her hand, lacing their fingers together. "I'm just asking you to give me some time. I'm not looking for anything right now; but you know that when I am…you'll be the first to know." Paige surprised them both by leaning in close to her, their lips just barely grazing in the softest of kissed before she nodded and pulled away.  
"I'll be waiting."

"Guys? Can somebody get me some water? Like a lake full?" Hanna croaked from inside the cabin and the moment between them was over, just like the weekend. Once Hanna and Emily were packed up they would be leaving and Emily would be out of the country for a month. As Paige followed Emily back in to the cabin she decided it was probably for the best. Spending the rest of the summer apart from Emily would give her enough time to come up with a game plan of how she was supposed to act around the other girl. She needed to figure out how she could give Emily what she needed from her.

The girls slowly pulled themselves around and packed up their bags ready to put in the car. After that they made it to the mess hall just in time to catch the end of breakfast and they filled their stomachs in an attempt to soak up all of the alcohol. Hanna still looked a little green around the gills so Emily offered to drive them back. It was midmorning by the time the car was packed and after saying goodbye to Cade and the girls in the cabin there was only Paige left to say goodbye to. Hanna pulled her in for a brief hug, insisting they would meet up for coffee when Paige got back from camp. The blonde climbed in to the passenger seat of the car and put the radio on loud, trying to give the other two girls some privacy.

They stood a couple of feet apart, neither sure of exactly what to say to the other. "Drive safe." Paige manage a smile as she shoved her hands in to the pockets of her shorts, standing awkwardly in front of Emily like she'd just walked the girl home from prom and was waiting on her doorstep, unsure of whether to go in for a kiss or not. Emily felt just the same.  
"Thanks. Enjoy the rest of your summer, and good luck with Camp Olympics."  
"Thanks."

They carried on standing in an awkward silence for a few moments before Paige finally made the first move, deciding to be bold. She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around her for a hug. Emily's held her back tightly and Paige never wanted to let go, not even once the embrace started to feel a little drawn out. "Take care of yourself." She muttered and they were so close that her lips brushed against Emily's ear. She felt the other girl shudder and caught the way her eyes dipped towards her lips, but Emily seemed to decide against whatever she had been thinking as she kissed her cheek instead.

"You too." She finally pulled herself away from her fellow Shark and got in to the car with Hanna. She slipped her seatbelt on before starting the car and the pair of them waved goodbye to Paige as they started up the gravel road that would lead them back on to the main road. The drive home didn't seem as long as it had on the way there, but the silence that filled the car made it a little tense. Hanna watched her friend out of the corner of her eye, picking up on her preoccupied look. Where ever Emily's mind was it was a million miles from Scranton. She had hoped the weekend away with Paige would have helped Emily to connect a little more with the world around her again, but it seemed to have only served in pushing her back inside of her head.  
"You ok?" she quizzed, already knowing the answer before Emily shook her head. "Want to talk about it?" Emily responded by pulling the car over on to the side of the road. Killing the engine she gripped the steering wheel with both hands and stared out at the road as she finally admitted to what had been eating her up inside for months.  
"I gave up on Maya."

"No sweetie, you haven't!" Hanna insisted as she scooted closer to put an arm around the other girl. Emily's eyes were glistening with unshed tears as she pulled away, shaking her head and pushing her hair out of her face.  
"I did. That night…the night they found her. I gave up on her." Emily croaked, her voice too choked up with emotion. In the weeks leading up to Maya disappearing Emily had been putting most of her time and energy in to swimming. They had nationals to worry about and they needed all the extra swimming sessions they could get; that also meant spending time with Paige though.

When she'd found out that Paige had come out to her parents a part of her had been overjoyed that the other girl didn't have to hide who she was anymore; until she'd remembered that she was with Maya and Paige coming out shouldn't have meant quite that much to her. Paige had been there for after nationals though too, when Maya had ran off and Emily was beside herself with worry. When she'd tried to kiss her that night outside the Brew, after telling her that Maya wasn't good enough for her, Emily had been tempted to kiss her back. To give the other girl another chance; but she'd stopped herself. She's still been holding out hope for Maya.

But then that night at the ball, when Paige had confessed to how she felt about her it had left Emily's head reeling. Paige had been slipping in to her thoughts more and more frequently. That night, after all the craziness with Mona and the dance, after finally feeling free for the first time in almost a year, Emily had finally made up her mind to let Maya go. She'd still cared about deeply about the girl, there was no denying that, but she had grown tired of her games. She was tired of having her heart broken by girls like Maya, and Allison. Paige was different. When things got rough the other girl dug her heels in for the duration. Unlike Maya she didn't run from Emily. Even when she'd poured her heart out to her and Emily had told her she'd just needed a friend, she had been willing to try, for Emily's sake.

That night, the night of the masquerade ball and the night they had finally unmasked 'A', Emily had been thinking of Paige on her way home, not Maya. She had been thinking about Paige as Maya had lay dying in the dirt and that guilt had haunted her for months. "I was going to call things off with Maya. The night they found her, I was going to call her and tell her I couldn't do it anymore…"  
"And Paige was part of that decision?" Hanna guessed correctly and Emily sobbed in to her hand.  
"Now every time I'm with Paige I feel _so _incredibly guilty and it's eating me up inside!"

"Oh, Em!" Hanna sighed and wrapped her arm around her before settling her head on her shoulder. "What happened to Maya wasn't your fault. You can't beat yourself up because of how you feel about someone! Even when you're not supposed to…" She trailed off and Emily got the impression she was thinking about Mona. The weekend away from Rosewood had been as much for Hanna herself as for Emily. Mona had done a lot to Hanna and her friends, but Emily knew it was hard for the blonde to associate the girl, who had become her best friend after Allison's disappearance, with the psychopath who had been terrorising them since last summer. Hanna had latched on to Mona, just as Emily had clung to Maya, as the closest substitutes to Alison they could find; but like Allison, Mona and Maya were gone, and it was time for them to start living their lives again. They couldn't carry on clinging to ghosts.

* * *

"Emily! Hey!" Paige beamed as she caught sight of the other girl walking along the path. She had been getting in her afternoon jog, getting her body in to shape for the start of the new swimming season, when she'd spotted Emily was back. "How's it going?"  
"Hey, Paige. I'm good thanks, how are you?" Emily shifted her backpack on her shoulder and nervously put her hands in her jacket pockets, her fingers wrapping around the cold smooth metal of her hip flask. Being in Haiti had helped her settle some of her demons, but being back in Rosewood was already starting to make her feel unsettled all over again. She'd just gotten back in to town earlier in the day and Spencer was expecting her over for a sleepover. She was already running late, but she lingered on her driveway, wanting to see the other girl.

"Great!" Paige nodded with enthusiasm. She had spent the rest of the summer psyching herself up for seeing Emily again and she was determined to keep things normal between them. She could be her friend. "We won the Camp Olympics! Cade didn't take it too well." She laughed, trying to keep things light between them.  
"Congratulations! You guys totally deserved it! I'm just heading over to Spencer's if you're going that way?"  
"Another dreaded Hastings slumber party?" Paige teased, noticing Emily's backpack.

The pair of them fell in to step together as Emily started walking towards Spencer's house. It was only a couple of blocks away and she didn't want to take her car when she knew they'd be drinking. She intended to have one last night of partying before settling back down in to her normal routine of school and swim practise. Figuring one last night couldn't hurt she'd filled her flask and tucked it in her pocket to take with her to Spencer's. She was apprehensive about seeing her three closest friends again. She hadn't really been able to keep in touch much while she'd been away and she knew they were going to bombard her with questions. After being the centre of attention for so long after Maya she didn't quite feel up to another interrogation; even if it would just be about her working holiday.

There was also the inevitability that they would talk about Mona and 'A'. Emily wasn't quite up to being pulled right back in to that world either. 'A' was gone, out of their lives for good, and Emily no longer wanted to dwell on the past. She was considering bailing on the sleepover as they stopped outside Spencer's gate, but Paige caught the expression on her face and took Emily's hand in her own. She gave it a gentle squeeze for reassurance as she smiled sincerely at her.

"If it all gets too much, you know where to find me, right?  
"Yeah." Emily nodded with a small smile of her own as she geared herself up for a night with her best friends. "I know where to find you. Thanks Paige. I'll see you soon. We should get a practise in together soon?"  
"Yeah, we should. I'd like that." Paige beamed, happy that she was finally able to be the friend that Emily needed her to be; though she wasn't quite sure how long she could go without giving in to the urge to kiss the soft full lips of Emily Fields.

* * *

**A/N: So that's the last chapter, sorry this fic isn't very long I just wanted to write something that could sort of fit in to cannon between Maya dying and Emily figuring out Paige was what she was looking for all along. Many thanks to everyone for reading and for the encouraging feedback. I'm currently working on another PLL fic called 'Cold Front' which is already posted, and I have three of four ideas in development for much longer Paily fics. **

**Trufreak. **


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